It’s been a while now since the world began discovering the benefits of augmented reality (AR) for more than just smartphone games. In the last couple of years, we’ve discovered the potential of augmented tools for everything from wayfinding and learning, to improving workplace productivity.
One of the biggest trends to emerge as a result of the AR revolution is the rise of the AR retail app.
IKEA, one of the biggest names in affordable furniture, was among the first innovators to take advantage of environments like Google’s ARCore system to create its own AR app.
Launching in 2017, the app promised customers an easier way to shop for the products they wanted, and even see how those items would look in their home.
If you love IKEA, but you hate trying to find your way around the maze-like aisles every time you want to pick up a new stool, this could be the app for you.
Let’s take a closer look.
What is the IKEA Place app?
IKEA Place was one of the first trailblazing apps to show the world what retailers could accomplish with augmented reality. The technology allows you to essentially place items from the IKEA catalogue in your home, to see what they’re going to look like.
IKEA Place provides a constantly-updating collection of items to explore, so you can place chairs, desks, and anything else you might want in your home, and plan your decorating strategy more effectively.
According to the team, the Place app was conceived as a way to give customers the opportunity to “try before they buy” in a virtual environment.
All of the items in the catalogue scale dynamically, so you can see exactly what an armchair is going to look like when placed in the nook at the side of your bed, or how well a wardrobe might fit into your new bedroom.
The system claims to deliver around 98% accuracy in terms of scale.
The updated version of the app even includes “visual search”, which allows customers to take pictures of furniture they like, then upload those to the app to find similar products.
For followers of the IKEA brand, it’s probably no surprise they were among the first to explore AR technology for retail.
The company has been working for years in 3D catalogues behind the scenes, and also offers customers unique experiences with 3D visualization in-store when they want to build their own kitchen or fitted wardrobes.
IKEA Place app review: The Benefits
IKEA Place quickly earned a name for itself among app fans, becoming one of the most popular free apps built with Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore during the first year of its release.
Over the years, IKEA has upgraded the AR experience for its customers, adding more immersive reality experiences, like the ability to search for product ideas using an initial item as inspiration.
Overall, the biggest benefit of the app is it makes shopping with IKEA much easier. You can quickly and conveniently scan the floor of a room, browse a list of products available on an app, and see how that item will look in your home in seconds.
Other benefits include:
- Ease of use: Everything is extremely straightforward on the IKEA Place app. There’s an onboarding process when you load the app for the first time, to teach you how to use the technology correctly. You also get little messages and tips from the app as you work, helping you to take better pictures of your space, and upload more effective shots for inspiration.
- Comprehensive catalogue: When you tap the plus button at the bottom of your smartphone screen, you’ll see the extensive IKEA catalogue, where you can simply tap on an item to place it in your room. There’s a few “getting started” items available if you need help seeing how everything works. Plus, if you already know what you want to shop for, you can easily search for an item by tapping the search bar in the top right of the app. There aren’t as many filters as you’d get on the actual IKEA website, but it’s still a helpful touch.
- Accurate scanning: AR apps aren’t always as smooth and immersive as we’d like. However, IKEA Place seem to do very well in terms of item replication and placement. It can take a couple of minutes to scan your room correctly, but once you’ve done that, it’s relatively easy to place items around your space. The scale of the item also automatically changes as you move it, which is excellent for getting a more realistic look at what you can expect.
- Easier shopping experiences: With IKEA Place, you can place multiple items into a room at the same team and see how they all interact together. You’ll then be able to tap the menu in the top right of the screen and use “save place” to save the items you want to buy later. You can go back into your Saved places later, to check up on the details of the furniture you wanted or add different items into the mix.
- Find the products you really want: As mentioned above, you can now upload pictures of furniture to the IKEA Place app, and the tech will automatically scan for similar items in the catalogue, to help you find the products you’re more likely to love. You can also hit the “like” button next to items and add them to your profile, so you can find your shopping list in a couple of taps next time you actually visit IKEA.
IKEA Place Review: Verdict
Ultimately, IKEA Place gives shoppers a straightforward and streamlined experience of shopping with the benefits of AR.
This was one of the first retail apps provided by a company which offered an insight into the “try before you buy” mentality of digital shopping.
Since then, we’ve seen countless other furniture stores deliver apps similar to this one. If you’re a fan of shopping at IKEA and want to make it easier – it’s definitely worth getting the IKEA Place app.
