Wayfair co-founder says 3D technology boosts online home furnishing sales

Wayfair is investing in augmented reality and 3D technology to help improve the customer experience on its website. The retailer also sees applications for the technology in stores, as it allows shoppers to better visualize home products.

Wayfair is an American e-commerce company that sells furniture and home furnishings. The company was formerly known as CSN Stores and was founded in 2002. Their digital platform offers 14 million items from more than 11,000 global suppliers. The company is headquartered in Boston , with offices and warehouses throughout the United States , Canada , Germany , Ireland , and the United Kingdom .

“Ideally, I think at some point in the future every home in America will have a 3D model that’s connected to it,” Wayfair co-founder and co-chairman Steven Conine said at the Jefferies Virtual Consumer Conference on June 22 .

Wayfair expects that advances in 3D technology will improve the customer experience, allowing more customers to shop online and undercut sales in physical stores. That's a big reason why the online home goods retailer continues to experiment and invest in technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality, which allow potential customers to more easily visualize products in their homes.

Steven Conine said at the conference : "AR/VR is certainly a space we've been playing in for a long time now, and over time we believe it can have a meaningful impact in terms of making it easier for people to shop from home . "  

The company believes the technology could even improve the user experience in physical stores. Wayfair is already experimenting with opening a physical pop-up store that features a design services team that can help customers furnish their space.

“Ideally, I think at some point in the future every home in America will have a 3D model,” Conine said. “We could have a design services team in our stores who can give you a very personalized experience and actually help you visualize the product in your space, help make sure it’s going to fit, it’s going to flow, it’s going to be the look and style that you want.”

Wayfair's sales have surged during the pandemic as consumers bought office furniture to brighten their living spaces while working from home and spending more time there.

Chief Executive Officer Niraj Shah said he was not concerned about a drop in sales due to the nature of home improvement. “The list of items or products you want in your home is never-ending. There is always something you want,” he said .

As online sales continue to move towards visualization, 3D technology should be helpful for online sales of home furnishings.

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