Swedish furnishing giant, IKEA has always been an aggressive marketing scout. Pulling off its latest marketing stunt, the company has launched "IKEA Catalog", an augmented reality app that lets you fit the furniture of your choice in your room and decide if the piece is "the one", all virtually.
The app is available for download at Google Play and the App Store. (Click on the links to download the app) Once you have the app in your Smartphone or Tablet, all you need to do is pick up an IKEA 2014 paper catalog, look for pages with a + sign, use the app to scan that page and place the catalog on the floor (wherever you want the furniture to be placed). The app will then project a 3D image of the furniture, making the piece virtually 'appear' on the place.
The app currently provides only 90 pieces of furniture for view. They include sofas, beds, tables, chairs, desks and bookcases. However, if the app garners a lot of popularity, IKEA may add more stuff to the feature.
According to Trustedreviews.com, IKEA's research showed that 14 percent of customers admitted to having purchased items that were too small or large or for their homes.
"Offering a way of using mobile technology to enable to test products means the technology has a practical purpose and really helps customers visualise the way their homes could look," Peter Wright, country marketing manager of IKEA U.K. and Ireland said to Dezeen.
"Our customers want to be able to test out whether the products they've been inspired by in our catalogue will work in their own homes - particularly when it comes to larger pieces of furniture," he added.
Check out a video on how the App works, below:
Some users that have already been using the app have had problems wth its functioning. Apparently, the app keeps crashing. Though the app has been updated a couple of times, the bugs havent been fixed yet. The latest version will be available from August 25, reports Trustedreviews.com.
Browse the IKEA 2014 catalog, here.
Along with its launch this month, IKEA will also be introducing its brand new "Dollhouse Furniture" range modeled after the IKEA classics. The range will apparently include its bestselling designs like the Lack Table, The Klippan Sofa, the Vago Chair and the Expedit Shelving Unit.
