Sofa So Good for iPhone App

Sofa retailer csl has launched an iPhone app which enables customer to see what any of its 12,000 sofa items would look like in their own room before they buy. The In Your Room app is available for free on its recently re-launched website, and as an iPhone app.

On the csl website, consumers can upload an image of their living room and see how different sofas will look in their home. The technology enables them to position each sofa as it would sit within their room to see if the size, colour and style is right for them.

The iPhone app goes a step further by using Augmented Reality to allow a customer to select a sofa and manipulate it on screen in real time, while the phone is in camera mode, helping people to create a realistic image of what the product will look like in their room. Users can also share their room creations online via Facebook, Twitter and email. The app also has a GPS store finder function to help users find their nearest csl store from the 21 located across the UK.

“We’re taking sofa retailing to another level with this new technology,” says csl managing director, Jason Tyldesley. “The application has been in development for months, and is part of a major drive to put the customer’s needs at the heart of our business. Sofas always look fantastic in showrooms, which have lots of open space and neutral backdrops. But it’s sometimes difficult for people to visualise how they would look in their own home and sit alongside their existing furniture. Our new website and In Your Room application complements our in-store offer so that customers are able to make an informed choice about the best sofa for them from the comfort of their home.”

The launch of the app is being supported by a £1.5m marketing campaign during December and January, involving heavyweight TV advertising (breaking 22nd December), online activity, social media promotion, and PR. Anyone who creates an In Your Room image and uploads it to Facebook by the end of January can enter a series of competitions to win a sofa worth up to £1,650. Twitter competitions are also running online with the hashtag #inyourroom.