Amazon
Amazon's new augmented reality feature allows customers to see what some products will look like in their homes.
- Amazon recently added an augmented reality feature to its iOS app.
- The feature allows users to see digital renderings of some items through their phone screens.
- While the app had a few flaws, the execution was impressive. It was easy to understand how this technology might play a significant role in online
retail one day.
Consumers are shopping online now, and that's a problem for retailers that sell furniture and other home decor.
While they can use showrooms to give some customers a sense of what a new couch or rug will look like in their home, they don't have the same advantage with those who shop online. The solution? Augmented reality, which allows consumers to overlay digital renderings of items onto their homes through their phone screens.
IKEA, Target, and Lowe's have all debuted AR shopping technology in recent years, but Amazon recently joined the fray by adding a feature to its iOS app that allows users to sample a limited selection of products, most of which are home furnishings or electronics. The feature works on the iPhone 6S and later models, and the phone must have iOS 11 installed.
We tried the feature and, while the technology still has a few kinks to work out, it's easy to see how augmented reality could continue to drive consumers away from brick-and-mortar stores.
Here's how it works.