London Dynamics, an augmented reality (AR) firm founded by a former vice president of digital transformation at IKEA, has teamed up with Capita to develop new solutions for e-commerce.

The startup’s collaboration with the professional services giant will look to develop new applications for AR to assist shoppers in virtually trying, testing and viewing a range of products using Capita’s artificial intelligence technology.

As part of the project, London Dynamics founder and chief executive Michael Valdsgaard will work alongside Capita’s innovation and data science director Alan Linter and innovation lead James Brooks, to introduce UK retailers to the possibilities of advanced browser-based AR.

Valdsgaard said the collaboration would support his company’s goal to “revolutionise online shopping and deliver the highest value experience for the customer” for retailers at all levels of e-commerce maturity.

“It’s a great chance for us to spread the word about how much AR has advanced in the last year alone and to prove that AR can be quickly and impressively combined with even the most ambitious conversational AI tools, like Capita's” he added.

Brooks commented: “Shopping is an emotional, visceral experience and people love to see, smell, touch, taste and try on the things they want to buy before they buy them - as we start to emerge from lockdown, bricks-and-mortar stores will find it harder to exploit these physical advantages.”

He added: “It’s more important than ever for retailers to differentiate themselves from competitors by delivering captivating, emotive online experiences, AR could be the answer to exciting people about shopping again.”

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