Amazon joins 3D printing fray

More than 200 unique print on-demand products are now available at Amazon as the company looks to give customers yet another reason to visit its website.

Amazon launched the 3D Printed Products store at www.amazon.com/3dp which gives customers access to 200 products that can be customized by material, size, style and color variations, and personalized with text and image imprints.

The company said its new store is one of the largest online destinations to discover 3D printed products featuring convenient search tools, interactive 3D preview functionality and a product personalization widget. Customers will find a range of printable products including jewelry, toys, home décor and fashion accessories.

“The introduction of our 3D Printed Products store suggests the beginnings of a shift in online retail - that manufacturing can be more nimble to provide an immersive customer experience. Sellers, in alignment with designers and manufacturers, can offer more dynamic inventory for customers to personalize and truly make their own,” said Petra Schindler-Carter, director for Amazon Marketplace Sales. “The 3D Printed Products store allows us to help sellers, designers and manufacturers reach millions of customers while providing a fun and creative customer experience to personalize a potentially infinite number of products at great prices across many product categories.”

The store features various design templates that customers can customize and then preview in 3D. The 3D product preview capability means customers can rotate a product 360 degrees. After an item is personalized and the customer has finished the checkout process, the item is 3D printed on-demand by a manufacturing provider and shipped directly to the customer.

“The online customer shopping experience will be redefined through 3D printing. When you take into consideration the investment needed for manufacturing products, 3D printing offers a cost effective alternative that benefits customers by limitless product options,” said Clément Moreau, CEO and co-founder of Sculpteo, a company Amazon is using to create 3D printed products. “With 3D printing, a customer’s wants are no longer limited to what is in stock but instead by what they can imagine.”

Source: retailing today