Retail Observer

November 2016

The Retail Observer is an industry leading magazine for INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in Major Appliances, Consumer Electronics and Home Furnishings

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NOVEMBER 2016 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 49 in 3D and in real time from any and every angle." Should the consumer want an opinion from a friend or family member, she takes a snapshot of the room and shares it. When she is ready to buy, she simply hits the 'SHOP' button and can buy it online. If she wants to purchase it from a local brick and mortar retailer, the app will direct her to the website of the closest retailer who has the product. Knowing that one picture is worth a thousand words, Kemendo encourages people to visit the Pair website at www.pair3d.com. Once there, a video showing a couple using the software shows how intuitive, simple and fast the 'drag-and-drop' app is. All the studies confirm that the vast majority of shoppers begin the shopping process online. That shift, of consumers evaluating products online is only getting stronger and reflects the new way people are shopping. Even when consumers are shopping for something as simple as baby diapers, they evaluate products online, they read reviews, they talk to their friends, and they look for information of Facebook and other social net- working sites. "So, it stands to reason that when they are getting ready to buy a higher-ticked item like furniture, they do even more research and part of that experience usually includes a trip to the furniture store, which allows them to see and feel and test the furniture," Kemendo confirms. However, there is often that lingering doubt about how that piece of furniture being evaluated on the retailer's sales floor will actually look in the consumer's home. The Pair app helps eliminate that final objection. "By giving the consumer a better way to conceptualize their purchase, you are giving them more confidence and conviction in their decision–and not only does this help closing sales ratios, it also dramatically reduces the rate of returns," Kemendo says. The Pair app also satisfies consumers who demand a wide variety of products and styles to choose from. Currently, the Pair product catalog boasts more than 2,500 products, but that number is set to skyrocket at press time as online giant Wayfair is getting ready to add a staggering 10,000 items to the catalog. While the platform has been designed to facilitate home furnishings sales, Kemendo notes that, the site is also a design platform. We have an incredibly high incidence of repeat visitors who view us as a place they can visit for design inspiration. "Some competitive sites may allow consumers to try one product in one color at a time. But at Pair, visitors can and do design all they want using all of our products in any of the colors available. We also feel we are the easiest to use, and offer viewers the most engaging experience out there," Kemendo asserts. "By giving them a design platform and a commerce platform we've giving our users a way to create their own spaces and they have rewarded us for that by consistently coming back to try new things," Kemendo explains. While Kemendo is understandably upbeat about the future of augmented reality, he is certainly not alone. Manufacturers who work with Pair to have their furniture and accessories included benefit in a number of ways, the company says. "Manufacturers who work with us enhance their brand, drive sales and accelerate customer purchase by communicating product style design and features in an accurate and real-time platform," Kemendo adds. Recent studies have shown that the majority of consumers are intrigued by technology such as Virtual Reality and augmented reality and would consider implementing these technologies into their shopping patterns. While both technologies are getting play from some retail giants including IKEA, Lowe's and Wayfair, Augment Reality has been all over the news recently largely to the red hot Pokeman Go, a smartphone game that uses AR to allow players to "catch" Pokeman characters appearing on the gamers' phones in their same location. However, underscoring the potential at retail, observers including Artemis Berry, and executive with Shop.org and the influential National Retail Federation, has been quoted as saying that augmented reality could be a game-changer for the retail sector. People closest to the technology, including Andrew Kemendo agree. "We think augmented reality will continue to become bigger, better and increasingly important to the retail sector," he concluded. E. Michael Allen, VP of furniture and bedding, BrandSource RO

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