Wayfair is releasing a new AI-powered application called Muse designed to help shoppers find inspiration for their home purchases.
- The app is essentially a visual browser where users can plug in a prompt, ranging from the generic to the highly specific, such as “dining room” or “moody 1920s-style living room.”
- The search then generates a series of inspirational photos or scenes, each of which includes a number of recommended items from Wayfair’s catalog that users can either buy right then or add to a collection for purchase later.
“The home category is heavily visual and highly personal, and most people want to start their home personalization journey by simply browsing for ideas,” Shrenik Sadalgi, director of research and development at Wayfair, said in a statement.
Muse builds on another AI-powered application called Decorify, which launched in 2023 following the release of Apple Vision Pro. That tool used generative AI to allow shoppers to upload pictures of their home and virtually try out furniture selections, with more than 175,000 designs created since the launch.
Building a bridge: What remains of that feature? Sadalgi told Retail Brew that Muse “contains elements of Decorify.”
“While Decorify focused on applying preset styles to a user’s space, Muse offers a broader, open-ended discovery experience,” he wrote in an email. “Muse provides an expansive visual journey where customers can not only apply styles to their space, but also explore AI-generated designs and find products that fit their vision.”
Sadalgi emphasized that the application is “more than just an inspiration tool—it’s a seamless bridge to shopping.” He explained that Muse’s AI-generated content is integrated with Wayfair’s product catalog, “ensuring every visual discovery can be directly translated into a shopping experience.”
Users are already finding inspiration on other platforms that are not tailored to the home space, he added, so creating a specialized app is a “value-creation opportunity.”
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