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.

“While Wayfair has already changed the way people shop for their homes through unprecedented selection, service and convenience, we are never done in our commitment to continually enhance the online retail experience through technological innovation,” Steve Conine, co-chairman and co-founder, said in a release.

“Virtual reality and augmented reality will enable shoppers to bring their home décor ideas to life before they even make a purchase. We look forward to rolling out solutions we believe will make e-commerce a preferred method for purchasing home furnishings, and inspiring and educating the community about the potential of these visualization technologies in the home space.”

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.

Wayfair Next is also building an augmented reality application for Google Tango, which allows users to see how pieces of furniture and décor will look and fit in their homes through the display on a smartphone.

The company said will take its virtual reality experience on the road, hosting demos of its latest initiative (currently the one offered in High Point) as well as its Google Tango app for augmented reality at industry trade shows throughout the year. Show attendees will be able to customize furniture layouts to visualize their own personal designs.

“Wayfair Next represents our commitment to constantly raising the bar to create the best possible shopping experience for the home, adapted to how consumers shop today and in the future,” Conine said.

(Source: Furniture Today  Author: Clint Engel)