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Founded Year

2017

Stage

Seed - II | Alive

Total Raised

$14.33M

About Obsess

Obsess provides an augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) software platform. The platform help brands and retailers create third-dimensional (3D) virtual stores on their websites. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in New York, New York.

Headquarters Location

New York, New York, 10013,

United States

512-773-9568

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Obsess's Product Videos

ESPs containing Obsess

The ESP matrix leverages data and analyst insight to identify and rank leading companies in a given technology landscape.

EXECUTION STRENGTH ➡MARKET STRENGTH ➡LEADERHIGHFLIEROUTPERFORMERCHALLENGER
Enterprise Tech / Marketing & Ad Tech

The augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) authoring market is a growing space that offers innovative solutions for e-commerce, enterprise, and entertainment. AR/VR technology enables businesses to create immersive experiences that increase engagement, conversion, and loyalty. The market includes software solutions that allow content creators to easily create and publish VR projects without the…

Obsess named as Leader among 12 other companies, including ThreeKit, DressX, and Designhubz.

Obsess's Products & Differentiators

    Virtual Stores

    These are 3D fully immersive virtual spaces that live on a brand's e-commerce site. Consumers can walk around these spaces, click on product hot spots, add to cart, and engage with embedded media and games. These stores are either digital twins of a physical location or a fully imagined environment that can only be created in a virtual environment.

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Research containing Obsess

Get data-driven expert analysis from the CB Insights Intelligence Unit.

CB Insights Intelligence Analysts have mentioned Obsess in 6 CB Insights research briefs, most recently on Nov 11, 2022.

Expert Collections containing Obsess

Expert Collections are analyst-curated lists that highlight the companies you need to know in the most important technology spaces.

Obsess is included in 8 Expert Collections, including AR/VR.

A

AR/VR

1,421 items

This collection includes companies creating hardware and/or software for augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality applications.

E

E-Commerce

10,495 items

Companies that sell goods online (B2C), or enable the selling of goods online via tech solutions (B2B).

S

Store tech (In-store retail tech)

1,617 items

Companies that make tech solutions to enable brick-and-mortar retail store operations.

L

Luxury Tech

419 items

Tech-enabled companies launching new luxury brands, as well as startups providing tech solutions to the luxury industry, including e-commerce tools, marketing, and more. While these companies may not exclusively target luxury companies, they have notable luxury partners.

C

Conference Exhibitors

5,302 items

S

Sales & Customer Service

863 items

Companies offering technology-driven solutions for brands and retailers to enable customer service before, during, and after in-store and online shopping.

Obsess Patents

Obsess has filed 2 patents.

The 3 most popular patent topics include:

  • Virtual reality
  • 3D computer graphics
  • 3D rendering
patents chart

Application Date

Grant Date

Title

Related Topics

Status

3/17/2020

5/31/2022

Virtual reality, Commerce websites, Social networking services, Retailing, Online retailers

Grant

Application Date

3/17/2020

Grant Date

5/31/2022

Title

Related Topics

Virtual reality, Commerce websites, Social networking services, Retailing, Online retailers

Status

Grant

Latest Obsess News

As brands jump on the virtual store hype, is the e-commerce trend built to last?

Aug 22, 2023

August 22, 2023 Web3 trends have come and gone over the past year. But can the new retail wave of virtual stores outlive expectations and permanently revolutionize e-commerce? Photo: Lacoste What do Lacoste, Laneige, L’Occitane, and Lululemon all have in common (besides the obvious)? They’re all charting their own digital paths via three-dimensional, interactive virtual stores in the metaverse. These retail activations aren’t designed to be like-for-like replicas of their offline counterparts. Instead, they usher in a new concept centered around storytelling, experience, experimentation, and community-building prospects. “What we’ve seen is a maturing of demand for virtual worlds, following the earlier buzz, partially contributed to by the entrance of major technology players such as Meta, now followed by Apple,” Olga Dogadkina, co-founder and CEO of virtual store developer Emperia tells Jing Daily. Korean skincare brand Laneige joined the virtual store trend in May. Photo: Laneige “The earlier marketing hype, which was campaign-dependent and short-lived has now become a permanent, long-term e-commerce solution treated as a ‘flagship virtual store,’ which is the case for most of our clients,” she adds. According to Acxiom’s Beyond the Metaverse: CX Predictions for 2023 survey, immersive shopping is one of the major e-commerce trends shaping 2023. Eighty percent of participating retailers predict that most e-commerce players will have their own immersive experiences within the next five years, while 76 percent of consumers who have used immersive shopping experiences want their favorite brands to create more. L’Occitane’s virtual store experience transported visitors to the heart of the brand’s hometown in Provence. Photo: L’Occitane E-commerce evolution As industries scope new online shopping approaches that align with the technological evolution, virtual stores are coming up trumps. A merger of the pleasure of physical retail atmospherics and the utility of e-commerce data-tracking, they’re a valid choice for brands wanting to broaden their omnichannel horizons. The concept isn’t new. But the trend proliferated in 2020, when foot traffic decreased and real-world shops shuttered because of the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing merchants to adapt to an online-only entity. Early adopters, like Charlotte Tilbury and American Eagle, set the virtual store movement in action. In Tilbury’s case, this materialized in 2021 as a standalone online space with multiplayer modes, while the latter went big for the holiday season by tapping Snap’s augmented reality lens feature to develop three digital parlors. According to Marketing Dive, on average, American Eagle’s shoppable activations generated around $2 million in revenue. In 2023, even as physical retail bounces back, these experiences have found a place in the online shopping landscape. With the global omnichannel retail solutions market size expected to reach $17.92 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research, it’s an open door that brands can’t afford to miss. American Eagle deployed Snap’s AR Lens technology to bring its virtual retail activation to life. Photo: Business Wire Strength in numbers Beyond its novelness, metacommerce is a savvy tool for gathering valuable data on a brand’s performance. Insights from these virtual experiences can highlight what’s selling well, the dominant buyer demographic, the length of time shoppers spend in these arenas, and a consumers’ unique preferences. In turn, brands can use these figures to tailor their offerings to individuals, as well as inform their own next steps in their roadmaps. “Every interaction within our virtual experiences is tracked. From product clicks to game plays, to quiz answers and add to cart. Our platform provides a new source of 3D spatial and behavioral analytics, which allows brands to continuously optimize their virtual stores and other marketing materials using a new layer of first-party data,” Neha Singh, founder and CEO at virtual store developer Obsess tells Jing Daily. Brands are utilizing virtual stores as a means of better understanding their consumer through data gathering techniques. Photo: Lacoste Pathway to personalization From a consumer perspective, appeal lies beyond statistics. Three-dimensional retail is also ushering in a new era of personalized commerce. Before the metaverse revolution, the e-commerce terrain relied on outdated, standardized architecture that struggled to meet skyrocketing consumer expectations. New virtual interfaces offer an upgrade to digitally-driven retail. Customers can design and dress their own avatars, engage in unique gamified activities, socialize with other users, and receive product recommendations tailored to their preferences. “Personalization lives at the core of virtual stores. Traditional e-commerce has used the same 2D grid-like interface for the past 25 plus years for all types of products,” Singh says. “In Obsess’ virtual stores, brands can display shoppers’ names in a room that’s merchandised with products specific to each shoppers’ daily routine, as well as utilize virtual stores as a visualization tool for custom looks to give customers a more contextual, curated way to shop their products.” Appetite and spending power are evident. Singh also says that Obsess’ partner brands have seen their virtual stores deliver up to 109 percent more average time spent on stores, 75 percent higher conversion rates, and a 10x increase in average order value, versus their traditional e-commerce sites. Emperia’s platform has driven increased conversion rates for its brand partners by an average of 73 percent (versus regular e-commerce websites), with an average return on investment (ROI) of 750 percent, the company reports. Beauty giant Charlotte Tilbury has turned to the virtual store landscape to celebrate holiday seasons and new product launches. Photo: Charlotte Tilbury It takes two The trend’s potential expands beyond momentary hype. These spaces aren’t just gimmicks, they’re a launchpad for brands to build worlds that are meaningful and meant to last. The technicalities behind these activations are often beyond more retailers’ capabilities. Subsequently, most are opting to join forces with industry hotshots like Obsess or Emperia to bring their visions to life. “While there is no doubt that brands know their DNA and audience the best, virtual stores are a brand new breed of online retail, the scale of which they are yet to fully grasp. The complexity that goes into designing, building and operating a virtual store goes beyond its aesthetics and is a far cry from the conventional 2D website,” Dogadkina says. Emperia’s platform covers both the initial build as well as the maintenance of virtual stores. While providing ongoing data reporting, retailers are handed full creative control over their virtual store, as well as the ability to continually optimize the performance of their virtual experiences. Meanwhile, Obsess launched its ‘Ava’ content management system feature earlier this year, which allows retailers to flesh out nascent concepts into full fledged universes – without the need for expansive coding knowledge. The subscription-based software means brands can seamlessly integrate functions such as merchandising, new product lines, gamified features, and avatars to elevate experiential moments. Lululemon’s latest three-dimensional store experience celebrates the launch of the label’s new ‘Chargefeel 2’ sneaker. Photo: Emperia Marketing’s revamp Virtual storefronts can also be an effective marketing tool for putting new product releases on a consumer’s radar. For example, this month Lululemon harnessed the trend’s cultural clout to publicize its ‘Chargefeel 2’ sneaker drop. “While Lululemon’s Chargefeel 2 virtual experience was launched in conjunction with a larger campaign, celebrating the release of the new shoe, the experience itself very much reflects the brand and its values as a whole,” Dogadkina says. “Immersing the visitor in the brand story and providing an added value that goes beyond the conventional transactional nature of e-commerce results in a higher user return rate, increased brand loyalty and ultimately increased online sales, whether the campaign is short or long term.” They also enable brands to expand into new arenas. American Eagle used its reputation as an early proponent in the meta-retail space to take a risk when it launched its AR-powered resale experience in April this year. Jumping off the back of its debut success via Snap, the label launched its RE/AE service, in which users could browse up to 200 American Eagle items from the 1980s to the 2000s using the app’s lens filters. The activation facilitated accessible resale opportunities, and demonstrated the influence of tech-enabled shopping. As brands move away from one-dimensional entities to going all-in with fully-fledged universes, virtual retail destinations are an entry point to drive consumers to Web3-based experiences.

Obsess Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • When was Obsess founded?

    Obsess was founded in 2017.

  • Where is Obsess's headquarters?

    Obsess's headquarters is located at New York.

  • What is Obsess's latest funding round?

    Obsess's latest funding round is Seed - II.

  • How much did Obsess raise?

    Obsess raised a total of $14.33M.

  • Who are the investors of Obsess?

    Investors of Obsess include Disney Accelerator, SAP.iO Foundry New York, Jump Capital, The Venture Reality Fund, WXR Fund and 10 more.

  • Who are Obsess's competitors?

    Competitors of Obsess include rooom, Emperia, Retail VR, ByondXR, Bitreel and 10 more.

  • What products does Obsess offer?

    Obsess's products include Virtual Stores and 1 more.

CB Insights
Looking for a leg up on competitive, customer and technology insights?
CB Insights puts confidence and clarity into your most strategic decisions.
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Trusted by the world's smartest companies to:
  • Predict emerging trends
  • See competitors' playbooks
  • Stalk the smart money
  • Identify tomorrow's challengers
  • Spot growing industries
  • Kill analyst data work
Let's see how we can help you!
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Compare Obsess to Competitors

ThreeKit Logo
ThreeKit

ThreeKit offers a three-dimensional (3D) product configuration and visualization platform. It helps brands create more interactive and personalized e-commerce augmented reality product visuals. The company was formerly known as Exocortex, Clara.io, and GoBig. It was founded in 2005 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Marxent Labs Logo
Marxent Labs

Marxent provides a cloud-based product visualization platform. The company specializes in combining 3D visualization with Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology to help configure, design and visualize e-commerce products. It designs furniture, kitchen, bath, outdoors, and offices. It was formerly known as 3D Cloud by Marxent. Marxent Labs was founded in 2011 and is based in Miamisburg, Ohio.

Bitreel Logo
Bitreel

Bitreel provides an augmented reality (AR) based virtual showroom solution. It creates immersive three-dimensional (3D) virtual shopping experiences for retailers through custom-built showrooms, 3D photoreal products, and AR features. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

ByondXR Logo
ByondXR

ByondXR operates as a retail technology company developing an immersive commerce platform to help brands, retailers, and wholesalers. It builds virtual store simulations, creates beautiful dynamic virtual showrooms, three dimensional (3D) visualizer for visual design, product placement, and more. It was founded in 2016 and is based in New York, New York.

Threedium Logo
Threedium

Threedium provides light-weight three-dimensional (3D) solutions to boost online engagement, increase conversions and minimize product returns. Its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform allows users to create mobile-optimized 3D configurators, 3D web visualizations, and augmented reality (AR) mobile campaigns without the use of an application. It was founded in 2017 and is based in London, United Kingdom.

Rooomy Logo
Rooomy

Rooomy provides 3D visualization of home furnishings in rooms via core technology that enables photographs of a room to be turned into a 3D environment that can be redecorated and used by branded furniture retailers. The company's cloud based platform, roOomy, enables virtual staging and redecoration in 3D of real estate listings, connecting home furnishings retailers and the real estate community with consumers as they are considering a home purchase.

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