Ikea set to debut an augmented reality app (AI)
Ikea is rolling out a new augmented reality (AR) application, called Ikea Place, according to Retail Dive.
Ikea Place will be available at the end of September in Apple's App Store, and customers with Apple devices running iOS 11 will be able to use it to view how items would look in their home.
The app scales products with 98% accuracy, and shoppers can move them virtually around a room. More than 2,000 products will be available in AR on the launch date, and the selection will be primarily focused on larger furniture, such as sofas, arm chairs, and coffee tables.
One of retailers' top priorities is to figure out how to gain an edge over Amazon. To do this, many retailers are attempting to differentiate themselves by creating highly curated experiences that combine the personal feel of in-store shopping with the convenience of online portals.
These personalized online experiences are powered by artificial intelligence (AI). This is the technology that enables e-commerce websites to recommend products uniquely suited to shoppers, and enables people to search for products using conversational language, or just images, as though they were interacting with a person.
Using AI to personalize the customer journey could be a huge value-add to retailers. Retailers that have implemented personalization strategies see sales gains of 6-10%, a rate two to three times faster than other retailers, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). It could also boost profitability rates 59% in the wholesale and retail industries by 2035, according to Accenture.
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