IKEA Germany introduces new VR solution

The Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has introduced a virtual reality application for the Oculus Rift for the German market. 

When someone asks me to go to IKEA, my hair usually stands on end. I don't exactly prefer to spend my free time slogging through the seemingly endless aisles, voluntarily exposing myself to the screaming of children, only to end up standing in front of a huge queue. But now, at least in Germany, there is one more way to immerse yourself in the colourful world of Ikea without having to flock there on a Saturday morning with hundreds of other customers. IKEA introduced a virtual reality application for the Oculus Rift glasses after the AR applications.

Ikea VR furnishing experience

The virtual Ikea world under the untypically sober name of Ikea VR Furnishing Experience shows various products such as sofas, tables or kitchen units that the customer can combine. In addition, the variants and colours can be swapped so that the customer gets a better insight into how different combinations can work together - and all this in a 360-degree view of a virtual room. Different wall colours and times of day with their specific lighting moods can also be simulated.

Instead of a furnished room in the showroom, customers at the branch in Berlin-Lichtenberg will soon find a corner from October where they can put on Oculus glasses and virtually stroll through a living room or kitchen. In addition, the VR sales assistant will also be tested in the pop-up store in Berlin-Mitte.

Hundreds of products digitised

The agency behind the project is Demodern, based in Cologne and Hamburg. For the new application, they have digitised hundreds of pieces of furniture, accessories and colour variations.

All Ikea products can be virtually configured, favoured and transferred to a notepad by the user. This, in turn, can be loaded onto the smartphone for further shopping in the online shop or in the furniture store. The VR application is an extension of a series of Testswhich has been running since last September. The first version, however, was limited to a few furnishings; the user's location and viewing angle were static. The first device has already had around 20,000 sessions. On average, it was used 60 to 80 times a day. That was reason enough to significantly expand the project.

The only thing you have to do without the app is the characteristic mixture of meatballs, candles and furniture glaze - and who knows, maybe I'll become an enthusiastic IKEA customer after all.

Source: t3n.de / wuv.de / Youtube