Amazon Boosts Online Shopping Capabilities With AR View Feature

Amazon announced news on Wednesday (Nov. 1) that it launched AR View, an augmented reality (AR) shopping feature in the Amazon app, according to TechCrunch. The feature allows customers to use iOS mobile device cameras to preview how retail products would look in their homes or offices.

The AR View feature represents a digital enhancement similar to Apple’s shoppable AR stickers, a cartoon-like version of the virtual reality present. It also boasts a more robust available product inventory than AR stickers and works with retail items such as electronics, furniture, games, home décor, toys and more.

Amazon’s AR app is not the first rollout of its kind. Other big names have also added AR store functions to their online shopping offerings, including Swedish furniture giant IKEA, discount retailer Target and home furnishings firm Wayfair.

The AR shopping technology uses Apple’s ARKit. Users can select the camera icon in the Amazon app, scan a barcode, select a category — including bedroom, electronics, home décor, kitchen, top picks or toys and games — and view a selected item in place in their homes through the AR View screen. According to Amazon, retail items examined through the AR shopping feature can be viewed and rotated 360 degrees.

Amazon’s AR View is only compatible with Apple iPhone 6S or higher, and the iOS devices must be using the iOS 11 mobile operating system.

The company is still hunting for a prime location for its second U.S. headquarters, with Chicago-based developer Sterling Bay throwing in promises of a sports and concert stadium as a possible lure. Amazon made other recent news when it lowered its seller fees on non-perishable grocery items, charging 8 percent on such items instead of 15 percent. The retailer has also rolled out new iOS devices in recent months and has launched a Black Friday Deals Store.