Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Wayfair opens R&D Lab
May 12,
2016 by in Business Strategy, Industry 
Wayfair Inc. (NYSE: W), one of the world’s largest online destinations for home furnishings and décor, announced the opening of its Wayfair Next Research and Development Laboratory located at the company’s Boston headquarters. Wayfair Next is dedicated to accelerating the shift to online shipping by improving the visualization of products through first-party technologies that will drive innovation in home furnishings and décor. Currently, Wayfair Next is exploring novel 3D scanning techniques to digitize Wayfair’s vast catalog to be used for augmented reality, virtual reality and 2D rendering.
“While Wayfair has already changed the way people shop for their homes througb unprecedented selection, service and convenience, we are never done in our commitment to continually enhance the online retail experience through technological innovation,” noted Steve Conine, co-chairman and co-founder, Wayfair. “Virtual reality and augmented reality will enable shoppers to bring their home décor ideas to life before they even make a purchase. We look forward to rolling out solutions we believe will make e-commerce a preferred method for purchasing home furnishings, and inspiring and educating the community about the potential of these visualization technologies in the home space.”
The Wayfair Next Research and Development Lab also hosts the Wayfair Virtual Reality Experience, a hands-on demo that allows users to transform a room by customizing the model, material, color and layout of furnishings and décor.
Wayfair Next is also building its augmented reality application for Google Tango, which allows users to see how pieces of furniture and décor will look and fit in their homes through the display on a smartphone.
Wayfair Next will take its Virtual Reality Experience on the road, hosting a demo of this latest initiative as well as its Google Tango app for augmented reality at a variety of industry trade shows through the year. Show attendees will be able to customize furniture layouts to visualize their own personal designs.
Wayfair Inc. offers an extensive selection of home furnishings and décor across all styles and price points.