The question
Online shoppers cannot see how a product will look in real life before it arrives. The paper asks how augmented reality can improve the usability and user experience of retail e-commerce, using IKEA Place as the main case.
Method
Secondary research, since interviews were not possible during COVID-19. We checked every source with the CRAAP test and the CARS checklist, studied IKEA Place in depth, then compared it with Nike Fit, Sephora's Virtual Artist and Houzz's 3D view.
Findings
IKEA Place uses most of the AR features open to a retailer. Adding the 3D registration and alignment Houzz uses would make it more useful still. IKEA has published no data on how well the app performs, and in 2019 about half of retailers said they were not ready to adopt AR.
Where
Co-written with Abdul Nabeel Renaaz for my MSc at Middlesex University London.
