Dive Brief:
- Joining the spatial computing trend, Wayfair is bringing its furniture visualization app, Decorify, to Apple Vision Pro, the home furniture and decor retailer announced Tuesday.
- With the Apple Vision Pro, users can upload a photo of their space, take a photo from the device or use a sample image from Decorify and virtually redesign their space according to their style. From there, they can buy their desired items directly from Wayfair.
- The 3D renderings are at full scale and visually anchored to the floor to help customers view the life-size products in their spaces, the company said.
Dive Insight:
After both the Apple Vision Pro and the Decorify app were announced last summer, the two are coming together to help furniture shoppers reimagine their spaces. Last July, Wayfair introduced the app for shoppers' desktop or mobile devices.
"We have long believed spatial computing is the next evolution of computing where information is not bound by the 2D screen and the space around you becomes an integral part of your experience," Shrenik Sadalgi, director of research and development at Wayfair, said in a statement. "We're excited to continue our journey exploring and defining new techniques, interfaces, and paradigms in the spatial computing era."
In a similar move, other brands have begun experimenting with the VisionOS operating system. E.l.f. Cosmetics introduced its beauty shopping app on Apple Vision Pro this week, giving customers access to guided meditations, a paint-by-numbers game and three virtual environments inspired by the brand's "holy grail" beauty products. Alo Yoga this month launched its "Alo Sanctuary" app on Apple Vision Pro, which provides customers with meditation exercises in outdoor virtual environments, along with the ability to shop Alo’s entire collection of products in 3D.
As Wayfair expands its product visualization capabilities, the retailer is also trying to turn around its businesses after a long stretch of losses. In its Q3 earnings, the company reported a 3.7% revenue increase from the previous year to $2.9 billion, reversing nine quarters of consecutive revenue drops. Its U.S. revenue saw a 5.4% bump year over year to $2.6 billion.
Its recent revenue bump came as demand for furniture and home goods continues to wane. In December, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census Bureau found that furniture and home retail sales declined 7.2% year over year.
As it works to improve its business amid declining furniture demand, Wayfair continues to shed its workforce. About a year ago, the company laid off 1,750 employees, 1,200 of whom were part of its corporate staff. Last month, the retailer laid off another 1,650 employees, making up about 19% of its corporate workforce and 13% of its international employee headcount.
