Wayfair announces a virtual reality lab for home furniture
[Philip Lelyveld comment: A recent study found that the consumers say the #1 use for mobile VR is viewing online products before they buy. http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2015/consumerlab/ericsson-consumerlab-10-hot-consumer-trends-2016-report.pdf ]
Wayfair announced the opening of its Wayfair Next Research and Development Laboratory here, developing virtual reality and other technologies that will help customers see that sofa in the home before they touch the "buy" button.
The center at the home furnishings e-commerce retailer's headquarters, is “dedicated to accelerating the shift to online shopping by improving the visualization of products through first-party technologies that will drive innovation in home furnishings and décor,” the company said. It’s currently exploring 3D scanning techniques to digitize its product catalog to be used for augmented reality, virtual reality and 2D rendering.
The Wayfair Next lab also hosts the “Wayfair Virtual Reality Experience,” a hands-on demo that allows users to transform a room by customizing the model, material, color and layout of furnishings and décor. The company offered a taste of this to attendees at the High Point Market and indicated virtual reality brick and mortar shops may not be too far off in its future.
See full story here: http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/531406-if-wayfair-announce-virtual-reality-lab-does-it-really-exist