E-commerce and XR Production

Description

Leroy Merlin, established in 1923, is a prominent French-headquartered home improvement and gardening retailer operating across Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. The company offers a wide range of products in DIY, building, gardening, sanitary equipment, renewable energy, and interior decoration.

To enhance customer engagement and streamline the purchasing process, Leroy Merlin sought to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) application and an Interactive Visualization Tool for their website. These tools aimed to provide customers with immersive experiences, allowing them to visualize products within their own spaces before making a purchase.

Challenge

• Creation of High-Quality 3D Assets: Developing detailed and accurate 3D models of a vast product catalog to ensure realistic and reliable representations in the AR application and web visualisation tool.
• Establishing an Efficient Production Pipeline: Implementing a streamlined workflow to manage the creation, optimisation, and integration of 3D assets, ensuring timely updates and scalability.
• Ensuring Cross-Platform Compatibility: Guaranteeing that the 3D assets function seamlessly across various devices and platforms, including different operating systems and web browsers.
• Maintaining Brand Consistency: Aligning the 3D assets and their interactive functionalities with Leroy Merlin's established brand identity and visual guidelines.

Solution

We collaborated closely with Leroy Merlin to develop a comprehensive solution that addressed these challenges:

1. Development of Detailed 3D Assets: Created high-fidelity 3D models for a wide range of products, ensuring accurate geometry, textures, and materials to achieve photorealistic quality. Employed advanced rendering techniques to enhance visual appeal and realism.
2. Implementation of a Streamlined Production Pipeline: Established a robust workflow for the efficient creation, optimization, and deployment of 3D assets, reducing production time and costs. Integrated quality assurance processes to maintain high standards across all assets.
3. Usability and Compatibility: Ensured that the 3D assets were optimised for performance across various devices, including smartphones, tablets, desktop computers and Mixed Reality headsets. Conducted extensive testing on a custom created test environment to confirm usability and compatibility, and proactively address issues.
4. Alignment with Brand Identity: Collaborated with Leroy Merlin's design and marketing teams to ensure that the 3D assets and their presentation adhered to the company's brand guidelines. Maintained consistency in visual style, ensuring a cohesive customer experience across all platforms.

Impact

The implementation of the AR application and Interactive Visualisation Tool yielded significant benefits for Leroy Merlin:

1. Enhanced Customer Engagement: Customers could virtually place products in their own spaces, leading to more informed purchasing decisions and increased satisfaction.
2. Reduced Return Rates: By visualizing products before purchase, customers have clearer expectations, resulting in fewer returns and exchanges.
3. Strengthened Brand Loyalty: Offering innovative and user-friendly tools has reinforced Leroy Merlin's reputation as a customer-centric and forward-thinking retailer.
4. Operational Efficiency: The established production pipeline allows for the rapid addition of new products to the AR application and web tool, keeping the digital catalog up-to-date with minimal effort.

Through this collaboration, we successfully delivered a solution that not only met Leroy Merlin's objectives but also set a new standard for customer interaction in the home improvement retail sector.