Saatchi Art, an online art gallery, has advertised its web-based augmented reality “View in a Room” feature for clients on the mobile web. This innovation allows customers to the site to view over a million artworks before buying online.
Saatchi Art says that it has seen record numbers of clients from mobile web in the last year and that since 2019, the online art platform has seen a vital shift in its client behavior, with mobile web users outpacing desktop. In Q2 2020, Saatchi Art’s mobile businesses grew 100% year-over-year. The “View in a Room” feature allows art buyers to choose artworks and immediately view them on their walls at home through a smartphone.
“We know from customer surveys that over 70% of art buyers are hesitant to purchase because they can’t see the artwork in advance. By offering the ability to view an artwork via augmented reality on mobile, buyers will instantly see the beauty of the artwork in their home. They will feel confident in their purchase” – Jeanne Anderson, General Manager of Saatchi Art.
“As one of the world’s largest online art galleries, we have always looked to innovate within our industry. Creating thoughtful, useful tools for mobile web users is just another example of our dedication to our art buyers and part of our ongoing effort to make it easier for them to discover and buy art they love.” – Jeanne Anderson, General Manager of Saatchi Art.
Saatchi Art now can provide AR functionality to the bulk of its art buyers in their web browsers, without the necessity for an app to run the experience. This is because of the feature, which was developed by augmented reality plan firm Rock Paper Reality.
“This is a huge moment for AR and an equally big moment for online shopping and the arts.” “The ‘View In A Room’’ AR feature is the most massive deployment of WebAR to date and demonstrates how AR can be deployed online and at scale when done right. For the first time ever, over a million pieces of art can be visualized by countless consumers across the globe, ultimately improving buyer confidence, driving sales conversions, and increasing loyalty to the Saatchi Art brand” – Patrick Johnson, CEO of Rock Paper Reality.
“Saatchi Art’s site-wide rollout of augmented reality reflects a significant shift we are witnessing on the web as the e-commerce experience moves from 2D to 3D to make it feel more physical.” “The 8th Wall platform is designed to give developers complete control over their AR content, and it’s great to see Rock Paper Reality leverage this to develop a dynamic solution for Saatchi Art at such an impressive scale. We are excited that a major retailer is embracing AR as a powerful product visualization tool to elevate the online art buying experience” – Erik Murphy-Chutorian, Founder and CEO of 8th Wall.
