UK’s leading retailer will use Israeli augmented reality technology to create a virtual showroom and enhance shopping experience.
Cimagine, which lets you use a mobile or wearable device to visualize products in life-like 3D at the click of a button, announced today that it is partnering with the UK’s leading retailer, John Lewis Partnership (JLP).
The Israeli company is a leading developer of markerless augmented reality (AR) technology for retailers and brands. It’s technology will be used to create a virtual showroom at JLP’s flagship store on Oxford Street.
The new Visual commerce (or ‘V-Commerce’) experience shows shoppers how items, colors and fabrics not on display really look and creates a new type of in-store experience.
“Technology will play a key role in the new Home Department at John Lewis Oxford Street, helping customers visualize new ways to personalize and design their home. Central to this is our new partnership with Cimagine. It allows customers to visualize products in life-like 3D, rather than just on the pages of a catalogue; helping them to virtually ‘try’ an item before they buy it.
“We hope it will give our customers a taste of the future of shopping and enhance their overall experience,” said Matt Hully, Head of Brand Innovation at John Lewis. “This is just the first step in using a very exciting technology.”
JLP also plans to unveil a similar display at its Cambridge Store.
At the end of last year, ISRAEL21c included Cimagine, a company founded in 2012, on its list of “top super-cool technological advances from Israeli companies that you should keep an eye on [in 2015].”
Cimagine’s technology measures any physical space and augments the reality by adding high-resolution computer-generated models, such as furniture and appliances, to the real environment. Users can walk around the room and view the item from any distance and angle, while the object remains anchored to its place.
“It’s exciting to see a giant in its field like John Lewis take the leap towards a huge change in the industry, creating a better experience for both costumers and retailers. I truly believe that this partnership is a significant step forward in the future of both augmented reality and retail,” said Cimagine’s CEO, Yoni Nevo.
By: Viva Sarah Press, israel21c.org
