How Can AR Furniture Apps Simplify & Boost Sales: GFG Use Case

Written by dana-kozubska | Published 2019/11/13
Tech Story Tags: ar-apps | retail | augmented-reality | online-shopping | latest-tech-stories | gfg | use-cases | startups

TLDR AR furniture apps have proved its tremendous impact on business. Houzz AR app made customers 11 times more inclined to buy an item and spend 2.7 more time on navigating it. GFG is using AR, 3D and AI technologies to simplify and boost luxury furniture sales. AR app is only half the story. To provide the maximum value, it should be aligned with business strategy and goals. To know more about GFG, you can meet them in-person on 20-21 November in Helsinki, Finland.via the TL;DR App

AR furniture apps have proved its tremendous impact on business. Have you heard about Houzz AR app used by more than a million users? It made customers 11 times more inclined to buy an item and spend 2.7 more time on navigating it. So how can you create a robust app like this? What problems could you solve with another AR app?

Why 3D & AR furniture apps matter

1. They let users preview items in their own place
Customers feel safer to buy an expensive or large product if they preview it in their homes, according to Forrester Research. Augmented reality furniture apps let you do this by virtually placing a furniture piece in your own room. As a result, clients can check whether the item fits exact size or style of a room. With a multi-placement feature you can also try out several products simultaneously and see how they fit together. 
While augmented reality doesn’t give a real sense of quality or textures, it still transmits the size and proportions of an item. Instead of plain photos, users get to view a product in 360° in its real dimensions. This simplifies planning and makes buying process a lot easier.
For example, via Wayfair AR furniture app users could visualize the products and proceed straight to the checkout process.
2. 3D & AR furniture apps let you adjust products to users’ preferences
Another problem 3D & AR solve in furniture business is personalization. How many clients do you know that are certain about what they want? Usually, they like to compare items of different styles or see them in different colors & materials to perfectly arrange the room. Augmented reality apps enable this without going to a physical store. A 3D configuration feature lets you build up the item exactly how you imagine it.
While Houzz, Ikea Place and Roomy are already there, there’s still room for improvement. Will you provide this improvement with your app?
3. They optimize furniture sales process
AR app is only half the story. To provide the maximum value, it should be aligned with business strategy and goals. For instance, it might optimize and simplify the sales process to grow revenue.

How GFG helps to simplify and boost sales

Recently I’ve learned about this tech startup GFG using AR, 3D and AI technologies to simplify and boost luxury furniture sales. Their example might be useful for anyone considering AR app development in the nearest future.

Problem to solve:

Usually it takes from 2 days to 2 weeks to place an order in luxury furniture business. A salesperson has to specify materials, size and color of an item, check its price and contact the manufacturer. If a specific product isn’t physically present in-store, users can’t experience it in any way. The whole sales process ends up ineffective and needs to be optimised. 
That’s the issue GFG aimed to solve. Not to lose potential buyers and grow sales instead, GFG team created an enhanced online ordering platform. The platform allows to place an order in minutes instead of days. It also lets you show the products in any variations, change colours or materials thanks to configuration feature. Finally, you can present the realistic versions of your products via Augmented reality.
Currently, it’s entering a global luxury furniture market. Among other tech startups it’s going to present its idea at Slush Conference 2019. For rising startups like GFG it’s a great opportunity to meet the global community of investors and grow their brand awareness.
If you would like to know more about GFG, you can meet them in-person on 20-21 November in Helsinki, Finland.

Conclusion

To sum up, the key problems that AR furniture apps can solve are:
  • Show any furniture items realistically, even the ones that are not available;
  • Simplify & speed up the entire sales process; 
  • Save time and efforts to customers during their buyer journey;
  • Configure the items in real time to client’s preferences;
  • Drive customers engagement;
  • Boost team productivity and sales.
Furniture is still the first type of product customers want to buy with AR, states Centric Digital LLC. This is a chance for any rising tech startup to answer the demand and build a problem-solving AR solution.
Knowing the pain points of your target audience, you can start your AR development process like a pro. Ready to begin?

Written by dana-kozubska | Vakoms
Published by HackerNoon on 2019/11/13