Wayfair Introduces View In Room Feature To Bring Products To Life For Consumers

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Shoppers can use mobile devices to visualize how items will look in their homes before they buy.

Wayfair has introduced a new feature that allows shoppers to use their mobile devices to visualize how furniture and other décor items will look in their homes before they purchase them. Called the “View In Room” feature, it helps brings products to life for customers, producing a 2D product image in any room through the camera of a mobile device.

“As we pioneer new emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, we are simultaneously focused on bringing new solutions to market that will immediately benefit all of our customers,” said Steve Conine, co-founder and co-chairman, Wayfair. “The new View in Room feature solves a common customer pain point by making it possible for shoppers to preview furniture and décor in their home before placing an order."

The new feature has been added to the existing Wayfair app and is available for iOS or Android devices. Wayfair also has 3D product rendering options available in virtual or augmented realty using select VR headsets and the Lenovo Tango-enabled Phab 2 Pro.

“From lighting and throw pillows to sofas and chairs – and even holiday décor - the View in Room feature makes shopping for the home fun, interactive and social,” continued Conine. “Our newest visualization feature is broadly available to our rapidly growing customer base and offers shoppers the added confidence that they’re making the right furniture and décor selections for their homes.”

Wayfair is dedicated to rolling out innovations to enhance the mobile shopping experience for its customers. Previously, the retailer introduced the  Patio Playground VR application through the Oculus Rift headset, followed by the release of Wayfair's application programming interface to its 3-D model library. Then last month Wayfair launched its IdeaSpace VR application, which allows customers to use the Google Daydream VR device to move through custom-designed virtual rooms.

View In Room builds on the IdeaSpace application in many ways, going a step further than its earlier incarnation by allowing customers to place Wayfair’s product images into their own existing spaces.

While other retailers have employed VR or AR technology in-store to help boost sales, not many have been using them for marketing and promotional purposes or for leveraging catalog images to boost sales. Lowes launched a pilot of the new HoloLens Kitchen remodeling technology earlier this year, though the technology is available only in-store. The HoloLens feature allows customers to envision various remodels in a “visually-rich and interactive way.”