Wayfair’s Augmented Reality Strategy
In 2016, furniture e-commerce giant Wayfair introduced the “View in Room 3D” feature on its mobile app, allowing customers to visualize how products will look and fit in their spaces unlike never before.
Customers shopping in-app can simply click on the “View in Room 3D” icon within their product selection, scan the room with their smartphone camera, and place the product on-screen within the room.
This is just one of many ways that companies are implementing augmented reality technology, also known as AR, into their marketing strategies. And while right now AR marketing may seem more like a fun accessory than a necessity, Apple CEO Tim Cook predicts that AR will soon enough be as integral to our lives as “eating three meals a day.”
Matt Zisow, VP of Product Management, Experience Design and Analytics at Wayfair, says the company is continuously aiming to “push the limits of what’s possible” in AR technology in the e-commerce sphere, “bridging the gap between imagination and reality.”
Wayfair is not alone in implementing this nifty room-placement AR technology, with companies such as Amazon and Ikea also jumping on the AR product visualization trend.
How AR Marketing Will Increase Brand Loyalty & Revenue
By utilizing AR technology to allow customers to visualize products in their homes in ways previously impossible both online and in-store, customers will ultimately feel more confident making furniture purchases both big and small. Previously, customers may have felt a bit hesitant purchasing bulky, expensive pieces of furniture from online retailers for fear that it won’t look as it appears in simple product images.
And with more people shopping online for furniture than ever before thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wayfair’s virtual design features are undoubtedly instilling more consumer confidence in a time when buying furniture in-store may be completely off the table.
In order to gauge the success of implementing advanced AR technology, Wayfair must measure KPIs in relation to their “View in Room 3D” features. Key metrics such as conversion rates of those customers using “View in Room 3D” vs. those who don’t will be an ideal marker for Wayfair to analyze the success of their AR marketing investments.
