The online retailer considers using augmented reality to help you settle on that new couch.
Amazon is a company that prides itself on embracing the unconventional. Whether its same day delivery, physical book and grocery stores, or fleets of package-delivery drones the ground-breaking internet retailer is always looking for new ways to revolutionize the customer shopping experience. So what does a $275 billion business with seemingly endless ambition do next? They change the way homeowners shop for furniture using one of the most exciting new technologies on the market of course.
According to reports from New York Times sources, Amazon is playing with the idea of using augmented and virtual reality to help you see how various furniture and large appliances look inside your own home. Theoretically, customers would visit physical locations equipped with proper AR and VR set-ups that would allow them to view virtual renditions of couches, tables, refrigerators, and more projected straight into their own homes. So now you can avoid lugging that 100Ib. recliner up your stairs only to find out it just doesn’t quite match the carpet.
Recent Amazon Studios job postings show that the retailer is currently building out a mixed reality team, “focused on defining next generation platforms and content.” Seeking a UX Manager, Mixed Reality, the job description paints a picture where the candidate will “lead the creation of our mixed reality product experiences, serving as the guiding force for design that will delight and inspire our customers,” across all supported and positional platforms including Daydream, Oculus, Vive, and PlayStation.
Amazon is also reportedly fooling around with ideas for electronic stores in the same vein as Apple locations. Similar to their physical book and grocery stores, these establishments will most likely feature items and services such as the Amazon Echo, the Echo Dot and Amazon Prime Video.
While Amazon is seriously considering a chain of the high-tech locations, it’s important to note that these projects are still very much in the development stage. If these proof-of-concepts prove to be too troublesome, Amazon has made it clear it’s prepared to scrap the ideas entirely. Hopefully that won’t be the case, as these augmented reality locations could forever change the way we shop for furniture. With AR and VR still on the pricey side, these locations could be the only way average consumers access the helpful technology. Keep it up, Amazon.
