Amazon planning augmented reality furniture stores?

Amazon is exploring the possibility of appliance and furniture stores, as well as using AR and VR to help customers visualise what it would look like in their homes.

The technology would give people the ability to see how the couch or refrigerator looks in their home before buying it, sources have revealed to The New York Times.

The e-commerce giant is also believed to be following Apple’s lead with an electronics-store concept – the store could include technology associated with Amazon devices and services.

Amazon opened its first physical bookstore in 2015 in Seattle’s University Village, which was dubbed ‘a physical extension’ of its online platform.

Now, the firm has five locations spread-out across the US – with five more coming soon.

And most recently, Amazon realized that there is big money to be made in the grocery business.

Last December, the firm unveiled a convenience store in downtown Seattle that replaces cashiers with technology found in self-driving cars.

Called ‘Amazon Go’, customers enter the store using an accompanied app, grab the items they need, and are able to walk out without stopping at a register.

The app uses a range of sensors that detect what shoppers take off shelves and bills it to their Amazon account if they don’t put it back.
But a new development has revealed that Amazon is facing a few challenges with some of the technology, but that is not stopping them from broadening their retail focus.

Rupal Karia, Managing Director for Retail and Hospitality, UK and Ireland, Fujitsu, said: “Once again Amazon is showing that it is looking to disrupt the retail market, this time looking to expand its physical offering and establish stores for appliances and furniture. Although AR and VR is nothing new, the idea of using them in-store currently isn’t widely adopted.

“It’s a sign that Amazon is yet again finding ways to differentiate itself by offering customers an experience they won’t get in any other store, driving purchases by allowing shoppers to interact with products in new and innovative ways.

“Now that the level of customers’ expectations is at an all-time high, retailers need to find ways to match this challenge, while ensuring they are differentiating themselves from their competitors. Shopping instore is now very much experiential, and by bringing innovative new ways to shop retailers can enhance that experience by making it more interactive and digitally enabled. Those that do will be the retailers that stand out against a noisy retail landscape.”