Wayfair’s Shrenik Sadalgi will serve as Chair of the newly ratified 3D Commerce Working Group as Wayfair continues to democratize 3D innovation
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#wayfair–Wayfair Inc. (NYSE:W), one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home, today announced that it has joined The Khronos Group as a Contributor Member, continuing its collaboration with leading technology and retail companies to advance the acceleration of 3D-modeling standards as the Khronos 3D Commerce Exploratory Group becomes an official Khronos Working Group.
The Khronos Group is an open industry consortium of more than 140 leading hardware and software companies creating standards for 3D graphics, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), vision processing and machine learning. In April 2019, the 3D Commerce Exploratory Group was established to investigate the creation of standard practices for 3D model production and distribution.
Now an official Khronos Working Group, more than 70 leading retail, technology and manufacturing brands are collaborating to develop standards that will accelerate the widespread creation and consumption of 3D content. Head of Wayfair Next, Shrenik Sadalgi has been elected by participating members to serve as Chair of the 3D Commerce Working Group.
“Despite the trend toward the ubiquity of 3D content, there’s a lack of cross-platform standards for displaying virtual product models, preventing 3D content from being experienced consistently across devices,” said Sadalgi. “We’re inspired by the enthusiasm and cooperation displayed by the Exploratory Group members and are thrilled that the initiative will continue to rally the industry around a solution as an official Khronos Working Group.”
This marks the latest example of the ongoing efforts that Wayfair has undertaken to democratize the use of 3D modeling and accelerate visual merchandising innovation since it began rendering 3D product models in 2015, before launching its first augmented reality app in 2016.
“With emerging technologies empowering retailers to create highly-practical, immersive digital experiences, 3D is more impactful for than ever before,” continued Sadalgi. “Having been at the forefront of this transformation, we’ve learned that in order to scale these experiences and make them truly mainstream, standardization is a critical next step. We’re proud to be part of this vital alignment between 3D tool vendors, content creators, manufacturers, retailers and platforms.”
In 2018, the company introduced the industry’s first 3D modeling curriculum for furniture and décor. The company also made its library of 3D models publicly available on SketchUp in 2017 in an effort to provide designers across the world with a valuable resource to bring their creative visions to life. Prior to that, Wayfair launched a first-party 3D model API in 2016, allowing developers to integrate more realistic content into their applications.
All organizations that wish to be a part of this global initiative are invited to join Khronos to get involved and help accelerate 3D in commerce. Find out more about the 3D Commerce Working Group’s plans here.
For access to the Wayfair 3D University curriculum, visit Wayfair Tech. To take advantage of Wayfair’s Model QA and feedback platform, and to submit product models, email 3DModeling@wayfair.com. Wayfair’s 3D-model library is also available to the developer community. To gain access to the API, interested developers can email Next3dApi@wayfair.com for more information.
About Wayfair
Wayfair believes everyone should live in a home they love. Through technology and innovation, Wayfair makes it possible for shoppers to quickly and easily find exactly what they want from a selection of more than 14 million items across home furnishings, décor, home improvement, housewares and more. Committed to delighting its customers every step of the way, Wayfair is reinventing the way people shop for their homes – from product discovery to final delivery.
The Wayfair family of sites includes:
- Wayfair – Everything home for every budget.
- Joss & Main – Stylish designs to discover daily.
- AllModern – The best of modern, priced for real life.
- Birch Lane – Classic home. Comfortable cost.
- Perigold – The widest-ever selection of luxury home furnishings.
Wayfair generated $7.3 billion in net revenue for the twelve months ended March 31, 2019. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout North America and Europe, the company employs more than 13,300 people.
Contacts
Media Relations Contact:
John Costello, 857-559-4446
PR@wayfair.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Jane Gelfand, 857-315-3270
IR@wayfair.com