[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Urbanbase Co., Ltd., a 3D spatial data platform, announced that the number of subscribers to its 3D interior service increased by 177% year-on-year from January to August this year. In particular, the number of subscribers in August, when COVID-19 resurged, rose by 468% compared to the same month last year.
As the time spent at home increased, the demand for home interior continued to grow, and so-called 'Jipkokjok' (people staying at home) actively utilized 3D technology to reduce the uncertainty of non-face-to-face decision-making.
Urbanbase's '3D Home Design' is an interior simulation service that decorates a house in a virtual space. Customers can load their current apartment in 3D within seconds and experience the placement of appliances and furniture as well as construction materials such as flooring and wallpaper before installation.
It was first introduced for free to general consumers (B2C) in 2016, and later launched a business version (B2B) with ordering and estimation functions added. Currently, the business version is used as a space consulting tool by more than 40 home appliance, furniture, and interior brands including LG Electronics, Fursys Group, and Ace Bed.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, the number of users flowing into Urbanbase’s own platform has gradually increased. The consumer version, which was previously enjoyed only by some enthusiasts due to the high entry barrier of 3D, is now expanding to general consumers thanks to the COVID momentum.
From January to August this year, the number of service subscribers increased by 177% and users by 64.5% compared to the same period last year. Although summer from June to August is usually the off-season in the interior industry, this year showed a steady upward trend without seasonal fluctuations.
By age group, users aged 25-34 accounted for the largest share at 34.5%, followed by 35-44 at 25.4%, 45-54 at 16.4%, 18-24 at 11.8%, 55-64 at 9.2%, and 65 and older at 2.9%. Notably, the influx of users aged 55-64 and 45-54 increased by 120% and 109%, respectively.
Until now, the age group of 3D interior users was concentrated in the early adopter segment of 25-34 years old, but under the 'Jipkok' situation caused by COVID-19, it is interpreted that not only the younger generation but also middle-aged and older adults felt the need for non-face-to-face technologies such as 3D.
From a service perspective, Urbanbase's '3D Home Design' can be used immediately through the website without separate installation, and users can virtually check apartments nationwide without visiting in person, which seems to have attracted middle-aged and older users who are not familiar with IT. In fact, the top-clicked apartment 3D data within the service mostly consisted of large-scale upcoming complexes in new towns or redevelopment areas.
Device usage showed a remarkable growth with desktop PCs increasing by 245.6%, far surpassing mobile growth at 29.6%. This is contrary to the trend of decreasing desktop usage in the mobile internet era centered on smartphones. It is believed that the use of desktop PCs at home due to telecommuting and online classes influenced the choice of devices for service use.
Additionally, the proportion of female users increased by 61.8% compared to the same period last year, narrowing the gap with male users. Although male users were more common in the interior service due to the 3D characteristic, the psychological resistance of female users to 3D has decreased, reducing gender differences. The average service dwell time was 3 minutes 52 seconds, a 25.3% increase from the same period last year. Males recorded slightly below average at 3 minutes 50 seconds, while females recorded slightly higher at 4 minutes 8 seconds.
Hajinwoo, CEO of Urbanbase, said, "The introduction of untact (contactless) across all industries has become essential due to COVID-19, and this result is characteristic in high-involvement products such as interior and furniture," adding, "The Immersive Economy will begin a great leap starting this year."
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