Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Wayfair Moves into Virtual Reality with Patio Playground
August 24,
2016 by in Designer Weekly, Industry, Retail Technology 
Wayfair Inc. (NYSE:W), one of the world’s largest online destinations for home furnishings and décor, has launched a virtual reality app called Patio Playground, to help customers plan their outdoor patio area.
The company’s first-party virtual reality application can be downloaded on the Oculus Rift Experiences store.
Developed by Wayfair Next, the company’s in-house research and development team, using Facebook’s Oculus Rift platform, Patio Playground users wear the Oculus Rift headset and a hand-held controller, allowing them to immerse themselves in an inspirational landscape, where they can explore, rearrange, and discover furniture and décor from Wayfair’s catalog.
“At Wayfair, we’re continuously looking for new ways to enhance the online retail experience through technological innovation,” said Steve Conine, Co-chairman and Co-founder, Wayfair. “By combining our advanced first-party 3-D scanning and visualization capabilities with Facebook’s virtual reality headset, the Wayfair Next team has created an interactive and entertaining way for customers to get inspired and browse items for their home.”
Wearing the headset with a controller in-hand, shoppers are introduced to a lakeside scene where they can browse Wayfair’s virtual catalog, selecting outdoor furniture and décor to design the perfect backyard setting.
“Patio Playground provides users with a new way to find design inspiration,” added Conine. “Virtual reality is a truly transformative discovery platform, and we are excited to harness this technology as we continue to deliver an exceptional shopping experience.”
Wayfair’s Patio Playground can be downloaded on the Oculus Rift Experiences store. To view a demo of Patio Playground, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl259D9MZOQ.