How Augmented Reality Technology Benefits the Furniture Industry
Discover how top brands like Villeroy & Boch and IKEA are using AR apps to revolutionize your shopping experience. Visualize products instantly in your space, from any angle. Say goodbye to guesswork and geographical limitations.
Today, AR technologies are most often used in specialized applications for furniture fittings, which are most popular in Western Europe and the Americas. For example, in 2018 the German company Villeroy & Boch created an augmented reality app for iOS, Android and Windows, which helps to select furniture and bathroom fittings.
It is enough to point the camera of a smartphone and tablet at the bathroom, and digital images of the items can be arranged in the room, fixed on the screen. In this way, the consumer can assess how this or that product will look in his or her specific interior.
Even earlier, in 2017, IKEA launched a similar app. In order to try on furniture in IKEA Place, it was necessary to scan a room with a camera, so that virtual models of the brand's products could be added to it.
The use of AR for furniture brands reduces the time it takes for a customer to make a furniture purchase decision, increases the value to the customer, and allows the company to compete with competitors who do not have similar solutions.
Customers want to see how new furniture will change their interior and inspire them to buy. But in order to buy furniture with confidence, it must first be examined from all sides.
In an offline store, not all the products are available and it is not always possible to visit the store. Creating a virtual catalog with the help of augmented reality allows you to remove geographical restrictions for potential buyers. It also saves them time and speeds up the order decision.
Here are the advantages a potential customer gets when using such a solution
See the item from different angles;
Choose the right style, color or pattern;
See the size of the furniture in the room
Move the furniture around the room, assess its appearance in the interior;
Increase confidence in the purchase;
Share photos of design options.
The introduction of augmented reality technology will benefit furniture manufacturers and dealers, as well as interest potential customers and interior designers.
Marketing research shows that users like personalized marketing. Augmented reality makes it possible to collect data on customer preferences in order to make personalized recommendations to each customer.
This gives companies in various industries insight into the needs of their target audience, allowing them to tailor their products to meet market demands and stay relevant.