UK department store John Lewis piloting a ‘try before you buy’ virtual furniture visualisation tool for it’s stores which is aimed to ease the decision-making process of buying a sofa. Within the studio, shoppers can play with a range of 3D-printed, RFID (radio-frequency identification)-enabled furniture props such as sofas and armchairs, and multicoloured fabric swatches.
Once placed next to each other in designated spots, a visualisation of the final design appears on a nearby screen. Consumers can witness their chosen product changing colour or texture on-screen every time they place a new fabric swatch next to it. The reassurance-based initiative also allows consumers to explore the product in detail from different angles, including viewing sofas in relation to other items for a better sense of scale.
John Vary, Innovation Manager at John Lewis said, “With a picture, you don’t get a sense of scale and size, looking at a picture is not the same thing as being able to play with something, and this also takes away the complexity of navigating a computer screen.”
