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What home furnishing giant is the latest to buy into augmented reality (AR) shopping?

Answer: Williams-Sonoma.

Augmented reality (AR) shopping is a trend that is quickly catching on, and Williams-Sonoma has become the latest major home furnishing company to jump on that bandwagon with the Friday report that it will purchase San Jose-based 3-D scanning company Outward.

Earlier in 2017, Outward created 3D Room View for Pottery Barn, owned by Williams-Sonoma, an AR app that lets users put 3-D models of furniture in images of the rooms in their home. It’s a new method of “try before you buy” that means shoppers may never have to leave their homes. It looks like this may be coming to Williams-Sonoma, known mostly for its wide array of kitchen furnishings, in the near future.

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.