Another retailer aims to leverage AR into sales
Wayfair is looking to leverage brand new technology from Apple into sales growth by adding augmented reality to its mobile shopping app.
Wayfair’s “View in Room 3D” app feature is seamlessly incorporated into the shopping experience, allowing customers to easily discover, visualize and purchase their favorite furniture and décor items from their iPhone or iPad – all within the Wayfair mobile shopping app.
“The availability of Apple’s ARKit will bring the power of augmented reality to our mass market customer. We’re excited to realize the true potential of AR, and now, deliver our own technology to virtually all of our customers as we transform the way people shop for their homes,” noted Steve Conine, co-founder and co-chairman at Wayfair. “Leveraging Apple’s AR platform on iOS 11, we’re solving one of the biggest pain points consumers face when shopping for home furnishings online or in a store – how will this item look in my home and will it fit? Our AR-powered shopping app lets our customers visualize thousands of products in their homes, from their homes, before they buy.”
When shoppers find a piece of furniture or décor they love on the Wayfair app, they can simply tap the View in Room 3D button displayed beneath the product image to see it in their home. Shoppers can move products - which are anchored to the floor or table - anywhere in their room as well as rotate and walk around to view every possible angle, then instantly purchase without having to leave the Wayfair app. In addition, all 3D products are accurately sized to true dimensions, so shoppers don’t need to physically measure an item or their space beforehand to know that it will fit before they purchase.
“At Wayfair, we’re constantly innovating to create the best possible shopping experience for home,” continued Conine. “The ability to see how a sofa matches existing décor or whether a new table will fit in one’s dining room brings an unprecedented level of convenience to our customers while providing them with the confidence that they’re making the right selection for their home.”
Developed using Apple’s ARKit, Wayfair’s AR-powered mobile shopping app is now available on iOS 11. For a demo and screen shots visit https://bit.ly/ViewinRoom3DiOS11.
Founded in 2002 as multiple e-commerce websites, Wayfair came together as Wayfair.com in 2011. By 2014 the company had gone public. By 2015, the company had posted $2.25 billion in net revenue.
This year, Wayfair's stock has soared 128% for a market capitalization of about $7 billion. Wayfair's revenue grew 42.3% to $1.12 billion in the second quarter as its net loss fell to $38.9 million.
Headquartered in Boston, with operations throughout North America and Europe, the company employs more than 6,000 people. Wayfair currently offers over 8 million products from more than 10,000 suppliers.