Outsource Room Preview or Build In-House? CTO Checklist
We build the AI Furniture room-preview widget used on live Shopify demos such as Mirage Furniture. These articles document what we ship: photo upload on the PDP, ~30-second composites from existing catalog JPEGs, jsDelivr or Shopify app install, and 10p per billable preview — not marketing theory copied from other blogs.
Building placement + lighting + Shopify theme UX + billing + abuse controls is a product, not a weekend notebook demo.
Buy when
- You need preview on PDPs this month
- You lack dedicated ML + frontend capacity
- You want predictable per-preview COGS (our public plan is 10p)
Build when
- You will staff models, evals, and on-call
- You need exotic catalog constraints a vendor cannot meet
- You accept delayed revenue for control
Most mid-market furniture CTOs should buy, instrument, then revisit build in 12–18 months with real usage data.
Frequently asked questions
When is building in-house justified?
When visualization is core IP, you already have ML/platform staff, and you accept multi-quarter time-to-PDP. Most furniture merchants should buy first.
Related posts
- Business & E-commerceChoosing a Furniture Visualization Partner: 12 Questions
- Technology & InnovationFurniture Ecommerce Widget: Photo Room Preview on Shopify PDPs
- Business & E-commerceRoom Preview in Furniture Marketing: Email, Ads, Showroom QR
- Interior DesignAI Room Visualizer: How to View Furniture in Your Room (Without an AR App)
See it in your room
£0 setup. 10p per room preview after your first 500 — only when a shopper actually tries a product in their photo. No previews, no bill.