Etsy Creates Virtual House Where You Can Visualize Its Items In A ‘Real’ Setting

By Mikelle Leow, 30 Sep 2021

Image via The Boundary

While most businesses have been forced to move into the virtual space during this era, there are some elements of the brick-and-mortar experience that are hard to replicate. For example, you can’t try on clothes or determine how a shirt feels on your skin until it arrives at your door.

That’s not to say that it’s impossible to emulate this part of the buying process. Cosmetic brands have come up with virtual tester products, while sneaker companies let you try on shoes via augmented reality. Etsy, which has been exclusively online since its founding in 2005, is hoping to incorporate that physical touch itself.

The e-commerce marketplace for handmade goods has opened a virtual ‘Etsy House’, inviting visitors to walk inside to browse some of its picks up close. The massive AR space, featuring 12 rooms and areas, was built by creative visualization studio The Boundary.

Welcome home! Introducing The #EtsyHouse—a virtual home filled with one-of-a-kind Etsy holiday decor, gifts, furniture, and artwork that you can actually shop. Check it out: https://t.co/xYaehWSb2y pic.twitter.com/woGSgmv7cd
— Etsy (@Etsy) September 27, 2021

It’s hard to believe that this interactive 360° home is CGI and “furnished” with hyperrealistic, scaled renderings, but that’s practically what it is. “We recreated this house within a full computer-generated (CGI) environment using our proprietary virtual reality (VR) platform, resulting in a ground-breaking immersive shopping experience,” details the studio.

Image via The Boundary

Guests can find out more about the 600 items adorning the space by clicking on them, which would prompt the items’ descriptions to appear. The Etsy House is also shoppable, eliminating the mundanity of scrolling through the site for ideas.

Peer into some of the rendered rooms below, or explore The Etsy House on your own here.