How retailers are using 3D and AR to drive sales.
What happens when shoppers can explore a product in 3D or see it in their own space before buying?
Macy’s, Rebecca Minkoff, and Houzz have published results from their use of immersive shopping experiences. Below, we look at what each company introduced, how customers used it, and the outcomes they reported.
MACY’S · FURNITURE · VIRTUAL REALITY
Over 60% higher VR-influenced furniture sales.
For furniture shoppers, choosing a product is part of a bigger decision: how will it work with everything else in the room?
Macy’s partnered with Marxent to introduce an in-store virtual reality experience. Customers could recreate their living space, furnish it with Macy’s products, and explore the arrangement through a VR headset.
The experience also helped Macy’s present a wider furniture assortment within a smaller physical showroom.
What Macy’s reported
Across three pilot stores:
- VR-influenced furniture sales increased by more than 60% compared with non-VR furniture sales.
- Returns fell below 2%.
In October 2018, Macy’s announced approximately 70 installations nationwide, with another 20 locations planned.
Why it matters
Room planning gives customers a way to consider an entire purchase in context. They can explore combinations and see how their choices come together before placing an order.
For furniture retailers, this illustrates the potential of helping shoppers move from looking at individual products to planning a space.
These figures relate to Macy’s in-store VR pilot, rather than an online AR experience.
REBECCA MINKOFF · FASHION · 3D & AR
Shoppers who used 3D were 27% more likely to buy.
Case study published by Shopify
Rebecca Minkoff’s customers wanted to understand how its products looked and felt. Online, they couldn’t pick up a handbag or turn it around to inspect it.
In a case study published by Shopify, the brand described introducing 3D and AR across more than 50 pieces. Customers could rotate products to explore their shape, structure, and texture. AR added the option to view a bag in their own surroundings.
The experience gave shoppers more control over their product exploration on desktop and mobile.
Results reported in Shopify’s case study
Compared with shoppers who didn’t use the respective features:
- 3D users were 44% more likely to add a product to their cart.
- 3D users were 27% more likely to place an order.
- AR users were 65% more likely to purchase.
Why it matters
Sometimes the remaining question is about a detail: the shape of a bag, its construction, or how it looks from another angle. Interactive views give shoppers a way to investigate for themselves.
These figures compare feature users with non-users; they are not sitewide conversion increases.
HOUZZ · HOME & DÉCOR · AUGMENTED REALITY
AR users were 11× more likely to purchase.
Choosing furniture and décor involves imagining how something will look in a space that already exists.
Houzz’s View in My Room 3D feature let shoppers use their phone or tablet to place life-size products in their surroundings. They could position and rotate items, explore different options, and purchase through the app.
The experience covered furniture and expanded to include wall art, ceiling lighting, and smaller decorative objects. By January 2018, Houzz reported more than one million products available in 3D and more than one million people who had used its AR feature.
What Houzz reported
People who engaged with the tool were:
- 11× more likely to purchase.
- Spending 2.7× more time in the app.
Why it matters
Viewing products at home connects browsing with the space a customer is furnishing. It gives them a way to explore how a new item might sit alongside their existing furniture and décor.
Houzz’s experience also demonstrates how AR can become part of a broader shopping journey, from discovering products to considering them in context.
Figures were published by Houzz in January 2018 and describe shoppers who engaged with the tool.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR STORE
Help shoppers make more informed buying decisions.
These examples address three practical needs: understanding a product’s details, seeing it in a real space, and exploring how multiple products work together.
For your own catalog, start with the questions customers ask most often. Which products would benefit from a closer look? Where would seeing an item in the room help someone decide?
Those are useful starting points for introducing 3D and AR—and measuring how your customers respond.
GET STARTED WITH VIEWRIUM
Turn your product photos into 3D and AR experiences.
Give customers more ways to explore your products and picture them in their own space, starting with the photos you already have.
Generate your first model, review the result, and experience it on your own device. For a larger catalog, talk to us about planning your rollout.