Choosing new furniture for your home can feel like solving a puzzle. Is that sofa too big? Will cow-print bar stools clash with granite countertops?
Retailers and technology companies are increasingly using augmented reality to help customers decide which products to buy. AR allows you to overlay a virtual image onto your real-world view through your phone's camera, making it easy to visualize what an item will look like in a particular space.
Digital pinboard company Pinterest announced Monday that it is releasing a new feature called “Try On for Home Decor.” This tool lets you see how products from Crate & Barrel, CB2, Target, Walmart, West Elm, Wayfair, and more will look in your space before you buy.
This feature is the latest example of tech companies and brands embracing AR, and a development as social networks explore creating AR. new virtual world.
Brands like CB2 and Target already have ways for customers to shop using AR. “Pinterest allows him to see products from a variety of retailers in one place,” said Jeremy King, Pinterest's senior vice president of engineering.
“Retailers are happy to work with us because we know that retailers typically don't buy their entire bedroom set from one company,” King said. “They want the opportunity to mix and match.”
Returning large pieces of furniture can be a pain, so it's no surprise that more brands are experimenting with AR. You can also try on products virtually to entice people to click the buy button. In 2020, Pinterest rolled out an AR feature that allows people to try on makeup. Pinterest found that users were five times more likely to purchase cosmetics when they interacted with this AR tool, and King said the platform expects to see similar behavior in home decor. said.
Although the ability to visualize AR items in a space has been around for years, shopping with AR has yet to become mainstream. According to an October 2021 survey by Bizrate Insights, nearly half of U.S. adults have used or are at least somewhat interested in using AR or virtual reality while shopping.
“We're seeing a slow but steady increase in interest,” said Jasmine Enberg, senior analyst at eMarketer. “It is primarily young people who are leading the way in shopping with AR.”
On social media, teenagers are already using AR filters to communicate with each other. Incorporating this technology into shopping is a “natural next step” for these social networks. Snapchat, which also offers AR tools for trying on luxury clothing and wallets, released a report last year in collaboration with Foresight Factor that predicted that by 2025, the percentage of Gen Z shoppers in the U.S. will use AR before making a purchase. predicted to increase by 37%.
Use Pinterest's new AR tools
Home decor and furniture items that Pinterest users can virtually place in their spaces will have a cube icon in the top left of a “pin,” a bookmark used to save content on the platform.
When you click on the pin, you'll see the option to “Try it in your own space.” Users are then asked to move their phone as the camera's technology determines how far away the object is from you. Depending on the camera angle, objects may appear larger or smaller. If the item is in the correct location, click the check button.
The AR home décor feature will be available with over 80,000 shoppable pins, including links to retailer websites to purchase the products.
Still, using AR for shopping can be “pretty unwieldy,” Enberg said, which may deter some consumers from using the tool. “As the technology develops and the experience improves, we'll probably see more users participate,” she says.
