The inclusion of Augmented Reality (AR) on eCommerce furniture retail platforms has shown a tremendous impact on revenue. The innovative approach using AR for customers to visualise products in their home has proven results in boosting sales, decreasing returns and improving customer experience.

The furniture industry is experiencing a rapid wave of digital transformation and huge brands such as IKEA, Wayfair and Houzz are already on the AR train, it’s time for other retailers to catch up before they get left behind. AR is helping businesses expand by making products more accessible to customers who aren’t able to visit a store.

About 71% of customers tend to shop at a retailer more often if they are offered AR and 61% of customers prefer shops with AR technology.

These statistics suggest the significant impact AR has on retail.

IKEA Place

When it comes to AR, IKEA Place was one of the first websites that allowed users to visualise furniture in their home.  We know because London Dynamics founder, Michael Valdsgaard and his team, were the minds behind the technology. The use of AR empowered IKEA to boost its online sales by intuitive, effective, and fun furniture visualisation.

Wayfair

Similar to IKEA, Wayfair is also a pioneer of AR furniture shopping apps. There is constant customer demand for seamless AR and multiple products using AR technology. The endless capabilities of AR enable higher senses of realism by following the rules of the real world. Wayfair considers AR shopping as the future of retail.

Lightology

Lightology is focused on using AR to simplify shopping. Through AR, the company can increase user engagement, conversion rates, and average order value. Also, the company reports that its 3D model and visualisation resulted in customers staying 3.7 times longer on their website which in turn is great for Google SEO rankings. Whilst 3D and AR images are not currently a ranking factor, Google’s main purpose is to enhance user experience and provide people with the contents they want, and people engage with visuals more than text to discover new information.

Houzz

The View in My Room 3D application enables Houzz users to test out floor design options in AR. The new offering will let homeowners, prospective buyers and sellers visualise how their floors would look like once they are redone.

AR is here to stay and is a game-changer when it comes to online furniture retail. All the retailers we’ve looked at above have built stand alone apps that enable them to use AR, but in reality taking the customer away from the .com site can interrupt a customer journey and actually reduce conversion rates. London Dynamics offers a simple plug-and-play solution which seamlessly integrates into your existing website with a line of code, it really is as easy as that, so there’s no need to leave the website or ask customers to download supporting software. Our backend system is easy to use and once we create your 3D assets from photos or technical drawings, the asset is yours to embed into your site and offer to your customers as a 3D and AR experience.