E-commerce platform Shopify has acquired Primer, an augmented reality (AR) app that lets users test the effects of a home improvement project before getting their hands dirty. Primer is an Augmented Reality platform that helps décor brands, designers, and design enthusiasts instantly visualize products at scale directly in one’s space. Therefore, this app enables users to visualize what tile, wallpaper, or paint will look like on surfaces inside their homes.
Adam Debreczeni and Russ Maschmeyer, co-founders of the Prime app stated in a blog post that its services will be shutting down next month as a part of the deal. Primer’s has a team of 8 employees who will be joining Shopify after the acquisition. However, the terms of the agreement, including the cost of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Primer aims to create commerce that is immersive, the blog post said, a goal that is reflective of larger e-commerce trends. Customers want to recreate in-store experiences, and even more so, they want the flexibility to try products before buying them and that is what this app is used for.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to realize our founding conviction of building immersive shopping experiences on a massive scale at Shopify,” reads Primer’s blog post, written by the company’s co-founders, Russ Maschmeyer and Adam Debreczeni.
Primer offers its augmented reality (AR) technology to the brands which in turn can produce both samples as well as showroom integrations that sales teams and clients can use to view product installations at full scale virtually. The technology can mimic real lighting conditions, textures, and sheens that give its customers realistic visuals of tiles, colors, and patterns, according to its website.
Shopify on its acquisition with Primer mentions that AR can be a game-changer since interacting with AR content when shopping leads to a 94 percent higher conversion rate than shopping without.
“2020 catapulted commerce into a period of incredibly rapid change, presenting Shopify with unprecedented opportunities in 2021 to accelerate innovation,” the company said.
