What if your Pinterest board could be in your living room?

Pinterest is the the process of launching a new augmented reality (AR) tool for home furniture, allowing consumers to see how the items would look in their homes. The tool will initially work with 20,000 products from retail partners such as West Elm, Crate & Barrel, and Wayfair.

As someone who has scrolled for hours on furniture websites and often wondered how pieces will fit alongside my existing furniture, this is welcomed news. These three companies have a wide array of inventory, and for Wayfair -- a digital first retailer -- this will allow customers to feel much more comfortable not stepping in to a show room floor.

I'd agree with the article's industry experts that with furniture shopping being a multiple week long process, inserting your products early on in the consideration journey (e.g., when a customer determines if they want a loveseat or recliner) will really keep these brands top of mind. Marketers for these furniture companies can also then Pinterest users from the moment they type "new bedroom furniture" as their new "board" in the platform, displaying suggested items, as well as prices and potential promotions, too.

That being said, we don't live in a seamless AR world. The technology is still developing and it may just end up being an expensive marketing tool. West Elm and Crate & Barrel's older target market may not be as comfortable with the technology and may prefer in-store tactile experiences to make final purchasing decisions. Time (and good campaign measurement) will only tell.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pinterest-adds-augmented-reality-feature-for-home-decor-11643641203?st=pb5cgms5jvtq85h&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink