AR and 3D helps solve online-only grill retailer’s main challenge

High-end barbeque grills test the limits of selling on the web. Among other things, they’re expensive and have a large physical presence. So BBQGuys, a Baton Rouge-based firm that sells high-end barbeque grills and other outdoor items but only online, had a challenge: to effectively compete on the level of experience with physical stores. To solve it, they turned to LA-based AR and 3D platform Vertebrae.

The Challenge

Grill enthusiasts “want to know how [the grills] actually look on their patio, the dimensions” and so on, Vertebrae CEO Vince Cacace told ClickZ, adding that they also want to walk around it and see its features.

This is, of course, the key challenge that any pricey or large product retailer will have when dealing in large or expensive products exclusively online.

The Solution

To provide a physical experience element, Vertebrae added its 3D player on the BBQGuys site. A tap on that button shows a rendered, turnable version of the grill.

The 3D model works on Android and iOS mobile devices as well as PCs or Macs, and requires only a browser.

There’s a separate Augmented Reality (AR) experience for mobile browser (iOS and Android) with no download.

One wants to see this on a phone or tablet, because you can go out to the deck and actually see and walk around the grill, superimposed on your own porch.

Since its emergence, some marketers have asked if AR is a solution in search of a marketing problem.

The Vertebrae solution, employing its Axis platform, shows how AR and 3D can help lower the experience parity for big products between online and physical retailers.

Cacace said Axis had more than two dozen large customers, including Adidas, Crate & Barrel, and Toyota.

The Results

For the AR part only, Cacace said sales at BBQGuys increased by 32 percent.

Additionally, AR accounted for 12 percent in average order value lift, and a 48 percent lift in revenue-per-visit, which he said was a good indicator of confidence.

Additionally, Vertebrae reports that 3D-enabled products on BBQGuys have seen a 35 percent bump in Revenue Per Visit.