Pinterest Introduces Furniture Shopping with Augmented Reality

When you are all about ideas and designs, you attract people ready to implement them and to buy things. And if they are ready to buy, then they may want to try. Pinterest makes it easier for its users to try what it offers; after beauty products, it introduces AR-assisted furniture shopping.

The idea of it is intuitive. When you see a piece of furniture you’d like to see at your home, you can load an AR model of it and place it at any spot in your room. Just like you see Pokémon or fantastic beasts in AR games. This time, though, it’s way more precise. Furniture manufacturers provide official 3D models of their products, so they look just like the real thing. The size is also quite correct, due to virtual measure tape that may function with modern dual-camera systems.

Along with furniture, it offers 3D versions of various décor elements that you can try in your home too. It collaborates with several major retailers that include Target, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, and Wayfair. This means that furniture pieces available as pins are shoppable as well. If you like a picture, you can try it at your home through the camera, and then order it.

The absence of IKEA on this list doesn’t mean the Swedish company is too retrograde. On the contrary: IKEA was the first company to introduce AR-assisted shopping through a dedicated app in 2017. Pinterest’s approach, though, seems more global and more user-oriented. It can recommend items according to the pins user has saved previously, and this recommendation system can be the killer feature of this innovation.

When you buy furniture, do you necessarily want to see it with your own eyes and touch with your hands at the store? Have you ever ordered furniture online without actually seeing the piece? Would you trust your impression from AR-based shopping? Let’s share our opinions in the comments!