A consortium of tech firms is looking into the possibility of creating standards and guidelines for 3D representations of products.
The aim is to ensure that such images can be experienced “realistically and consistently across all platforms and devices“, including mobile, web and Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) solutions, explained the Khronos Group, which includes over 140 hardware and software companies.
Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook, Ikea, Lowe’s, Target, JD.com and Shopify are among the retail brands and technology companies proposing the initiative.
Khronos pointed to recent research from Gartner which predicted that by 2020, 100 million consumers will shop in AR online and in-store. Gartner also found that 46% of retailers were planning to deploy either AR or VR solutions to meet customer service experience requirements.
The research and advisory firm said that immersive technologies in retail can be “transformative“.
“Retailers can use AR as an extension of the brand experience to engage customers in immersive environments and drive revenue,” explained Hanna Karki, principal research analyst at Gartner. “For example, IKEA’s Place app enables customers to virtually ‘place’ IKEA products in their space. Additionally, AR can be used outside the store after a sale to increase customer satisfaction and improve loyalty.”
New standards are expected to enable a consistent experience of 3D virtual products across a variety of endpoints, including search results, social feeds, ad units, in apps, on e-commerce websites, on mobile AR devices and VR/AR headsets, and on in-store displays.
Standard specifications and guidelines would also aim to align and streamline interactions between retailers and manufacturers working with technology providers, content creators, and technology platforms distributing and displaying virtual products.
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Tags: AR, Augmented Reality, VR, or Virtual Reality, 3D virtual products
