Pixo AI Virtual Staging — PRD
Product Requirements Document for an AI-powered virtual staging platform that enables real estate professionals to transform room photos into professionally staged interiors in 10 seconds.
Status: MVP - Shipped & Iterating · Version: 2.0 · Updated: January 6, 2026
1. Executive Summary
1.1 Product Vision
Pixo is an AI-powered virtual staging platform that enables real estate professionals to transform empty or outdated room photos into professionally staged interiors in 10 seconds—at 95-97% lower cost than traditional staging.
1.2 Problem Statement
Real estate agents and property managers face a critical challenge: 93% of buyers use online listings as their primary search tool, yet vacant properties receive 50% fewer inquiries and sell for 6-10% less than staged homes. Traditional virtual staging costs $50-150/image with 24-48 hour turnaround times, making it prohibitive for volume usage.
1.3 Solution Overview
Pixo leverages Google's Gemini multimodal AI to provide instant, high-quality virtual staging with:
- 10-second generation time (vs. 24-48 hours traditional)
- $0.50-4.13 per image (vs. $50-150 traditional)
- 4K resolution output with commercial licensing
- 20+ interior design styles and 15+ room types
1.4 Core Value Proposition
🎨 The Vitamin (Delighter)
Transform any room photo into 20+ professional interior design styles instantly—giving agents creative flexibility without hiring designers or photographers.
💊 The Painkiller (Problem Solver)
Eliminate 24-48 hour turnaround times and $50-150 per image costs—get MLS-ready staged photos in 10 seconds for under $5.
⚡ The Steroid (Accelerator)
AI-powered staging that learns from millions of design patterns, delivering consistent, high-quality results that help properties sell 36-73% faster.
1.5 Business Outcomes
- Target Market: $12.3B real estate marketing software market (2024)
- Pricing Model: SaaS subscriptions ($15-129/month) + credit top-ups
- Unit Economics: 92-96% gross margins on image generation
- Growth Strategy: Programmatic SEO targeting 100K+ long-tail keywords
- Projected ARR: $468K by Month 12
2. Market & User Research
2.1 Target Personas
Primary: Sarah, Real Estate Agent
- Demographics: 35-50 years old, 5-15 years experience
- Pain Points: Needs to stage 10-30 listings/month, limited budget, tight deadlines
- Goals: Sell homes faster, justify higher prices, win more listings
- Willingness to Pay: $29-59/month for unlimited staging
- Quote: "I lose listings because I can't afford professional staging for every vacant property."
Secondary: Mike, Property Manager
- Demographics: Property management companies, Airbnb hosts
- Pain Points: Managing 50+ properties, consistent branding across listings
- Goals: Reduce vacancy rates, professional marketing materials
- Willingness to Pay: $129/month for high volume + team features
- Quote: "I need to refresh 20 property photos every month and can't wait days for turnaround."
Tertiary: Jennifer, Interior Designer
- Demographics: Freelance designers, design studios
- Pain Points: Creating mockups for clients, visualizing design concepts
- Goals: Present options quickly, reduce revision cycles
- Willingness to Pay: $59/month for high-resolution outputs
- Quote: "Clients want to see 5 different styles before deciding—I need to produce visuals fast."
Quaternary: Demo/Prospect User
- Who: Potential customers evaluating the platform before commitment
- Goal: Understand platform capabilities and output quality with minimal friction
- Pain: "Need to see if the AI quality is good enough before entering payment details"
- Needs: Immediate access, sample outputs, clear upgrade path
2.2 Competitive Analysis
| Competitor | Price/Image | Turnaround | AI-Powered | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoxBrownie | $32-79 | 24-48h | No | Established brand, human editors |
| Virtual Staging Solutions | $50-150 | 24-72h | No | High-touch service |
| PadStyler | $59-99 | 24-48h | Partial | Furniture removal + staging |
| REimagine Home | $0.50-2.50 | Instant | Yes | Limited style control |
| Pixo | $0.50-4.13 | 10 seconds | Yes | Best price/speed/quality ratio |
2.3 Market Opportunity
- TAM: $12.3B real estate marketing software (2024)
- SAM: $2.1B virtual staging & visualization
- SOM: $210M addressable with AI-first approach (1% market share)
3. Core User Journey
Sign Up/Login → Upload Room Photo → Select Style & Room Type → AI Generation → Review & Download → Save to Workspace
Time to First Value: Under 2 minutes (signup to first staged image)
End-to-End Workflow: Under 5 minutes for complete staging process
4. Product Requirements
Requirements are organized by user journey priority:
4.1 Authentication & Access
| Priority | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P0 | Social Authentication | Google OAuth + Email magic link for quick onboarding |
| P0 | Session Persistence | Maintain user session and workspace data across browser sessions |
| P0 | Credit-gated Demo | Free tier with 3 credits, no payment required for trial |
| P1 | Passwordless Options | Magic links to reduce signup friction |
| P2 | Team/Organization Accounts | Multi-user access for property management companies |
4.2 Operational Modes
Pixo offers three distinct operational modes, each optimized for specific use cases:
| Mode | Goal | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanup | Remove distractions and simplify images without changing style or layout | Remove furniture, declutter rooms, minimal controls |
| Renovate | Visually renovate surfaces and finishes while preserving room geometry | Paint walls/ceiling, new floors, material selection, design preferences |
| Staging | Furnish and decorate spaces using high-level room presets | Room presets, style-implicit staging, minimal configuration required |
4.3 Image Generation Journey
| Step | Priority | Key Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Upload | P0 | Drag-drop image upload (JPG/PNG/WebP, max 10MB), client-side validation |
| 2. Mode Selection | P0 | Choose between Cleanup, Renovate, or Staging modes |
| 3. Room Detection | P0 | 15 room types (living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, etc.) |
| 4. Style Selection | P0 | 20 interior design styles (modern, farmhouse, Scandinavian, etc.) |
| 5. Custom Prompt | P0 | Free-form text input for specific staging instructions |
| 6. Model Selection | P0 | Toggle between Standard (1K) and Pro models (1K/2K/4K) |
| 7. Generation | P0 | Real-time progress indicator, under 10 second generation time |
| 8. Review | P0 | Side-by-side comparison, regenerate with adjusted prompt |
| 9. Download/Save | P0 | Individual download, bulk ZIP export, workspace organization |
4.4 Advanced Mode Features
Advanced Mode unlocks the Pro model and additional AI guidance capabilities:
| Priority | Feature | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P0 | Pro Model Access | Switch from Standard (gemini-2.5-flash) to Pro (gemini-3-pro) model |
| P0 | Resolution Selection | Choose output resolution: 1K, 2K, or 4K (4K requires Pro/Business plan) |
| P1 | Reference Images | Upload up to 14 reference images to guide style, furniture, and layout |
| P1 | Google Search Grounding | Use live data and verified sources for context-aware design decisions |
| P1 | Thinking Mode | AI reasons through layout, lighting, and references before producing output |
4.5 Navigation & Progress Management
| Priority | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P0 | Credit Indicator | Real-time credit balance display in header |
| P0 | Usage History | Transaction log showing credit usage per generation |
| P0 | Workspace Navigation | Folder-based organization for generated images |
| P1 | Recent Projects | Quick access to last 5 generated images |
| P1 | Batch Operations | Multi-select for bulk download/delete |
4.6 Billing & Subscription Management
| Priority | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P0 | Plan Selection | Clear tier comparison with feature matrix |
| P0 | Credit Top-ups | One-click purchase of additional credits |
| P0 | Subscription Management | Upgrade/downgrade/cancel with prorated billing |
| P1 | Usage Alerts | Low credit warnings at 5, 2, and 0 credits remaining |
| P2 | Invoice History | Downloadable receipts for accounting |
4.7 Admin & Trust Features
| Priority | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| P0 | Content Moderation | Automated flagging of inappropriate uploads |
| P0 | Rate Limiting | 10 generations/minute per user to prevent abuse |
| P1 | Admin Dashboard | User management, ban/unban, refund processing |
| P1 | Account Deletion | GDPR-compliant hard delete with 30-day grace period |
| P2 | Fraud Detection | IP-based velocity checks, Stripe Radar integration |
5. Non-Goals
Explicitly out of scope for MVP to maintain focus:
- Physical Staging Services: Platform provides AI-generated images only; no coordination with physical staging companies
- Real-time Collaboration: No simultaneous editing or client sharing features (Phase 3 consideration)
- 3D Modeling/VR: 2D image generation only; no 3D walkthroughs or virtual reality integration
- Custom Furniture Library: AI generates from learned patterns only; no user-uploaded furniture catalogs
- Print-on-Demand Integration: Digital delivery only; no physical print ordering or fulfillment
- Multi-language Support: English-only interface for initial launch; internationalization in future phases
- Mobile Native Apps: Web-responsive design only; native iOS/Android apps post-product-market fit
6. Technology Stack
Frontend Framework
- Next.js 16.1.1
- React 19.2.3
- TypeScript 5.x
UI & Styling
- Tailwind CSS 3.4.1
- shadcn/ui components
- Framer Motion (animations)
- Lucide React (icons)
State & Data Management
- React Context API (auth, workspace state)
- Drizzle ORM (type-safe database queries)
- Server Actions (form submissions, mutations)
Backend & Infrastructure
- Next.js API Routes
- PostgreSQL (database)
- Cloudflare R2 (file storage)
- Upstash Redis (rate limiting, caching)
Authentication
- NextAuth.js 4.24.13
- Google OAuth provider
- Email magic link provider
AI & ML
- Google Gemini 2.5 Flash (Standard mode)
- Google Gemini 3 Pro (Advanced mode)
- Replicate (fallback model provider)
Payments & Billing
- Dodo Payments
- Stripe (webhook processing)
Analytics & Monitoring
- PostHog (product analytics, session replays)
- Vercel Analytics (performance monitoring)
Development Tools
- ESLint (Next.js core-web-vitals config)
- pnpm (package manager)
- Drizzle Kit (database migrations)
7. Pricing & Packaging Strategy
7.1 Tier Structure
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Credits | Storage | Parallel Gens | Team Seats | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 3 | 100MB | 2 | 1 | Standard model, 1K resolution, watermarked |
| Starter | $15 | $150 | 30 | 1GB | 4 | 1 | Standard model, 1K resolution |
| Growth | $29 | $290 | 120 | 2GB | 6 | 1 | Pro model (2K), Google Search Grounding |
| Pro | $59 | $590 | 300 | 5GB | 8 | 2 | Pro model (4K), Thinking Mode, 14 reference images |
| Business | $129 | $1,290 | 700 | 25GB | 16 | 5 | All Pro features, API access, SLA support |
7.2 Credit Costs
| Generation Type | Model | Resolution | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | gemini-2.5-flash | 1K | 1 Credit |
| Pro | gemini-3-pro | 1K | 4 Credits |
| Pro (High Res) | gemini-3-pro | 2K | 4 Credits |
| Pro (Ultra Res) | gemini-3-pro | 4K | 7 Credits |
7.3 Design Decisions
- Freemium threshold at 3 credits: Enough for trial, insufficient for production use
- 4K gated at Pro tier: Encourages upgrade from Growth to Pro ($30 incremental ARPU)
- Yearly discount (17%): Improves cash flow and reduces churn
- Credit rollover: None (use-it-or-lose-it drives monthly engagement)
- Reference images at Pro+: Premium feature requiring Pro model capabilities
7.4 Revenue Projections
Assumptions:
- 1,000 paying customers by Month 12
- Mix: 40% Starter, 30% Growth, 20% Pro, 10% Business
- Average top-up revenue: 20% of subscription ARPU
- Monthly churn: 8% (industry average for SaaS)
Month 12 Projected ARR: $468,000
- Subscription Revenue: $390,000
- Top-up Revenue: $78,000
8. Future Backend Integration Points
While current implementation is full-stack with Next.js, the following enhancements are planned for scale:
AI Model Optimization Service
- Fine-tuned models for real estate-specific staging
- A/B testing framework for generation quality
- Automated quality scoring pipeline
Advanced Analytics Platform
- Generation success rate monitoring
- User cohort analysis and churn prediction
- Credit consumption pattern analysis for pricing optimization
Enterprise API Gateway
- RESTful API for MLS/platform integrations
- Webhook system for generation completion notifications
- API key management and usage analytics
Content Delivery Network
- Global image caching for faster load times
- Automatic image optimization (WebP/AVIF conversion)
- Geographic redundancy for 99.99% availability
9. Growth & Acquisition Strategy
9.1 Programmatic SEO (pSEO)
Objective: Capture high-intent, long-tail search traffic at scale without content marketing overhead.
Page Templates:
- Room Type Pages (
/virtual-staging/living-room) - 15 pages - Location Pages (
/virtual-staging/city/los-angeles) - 828 pages - Room + Location Combo (
/virtual-staging/room/living-room/los-angeles) - 12,420 pages - Style Pages (
/interior-design-styles/modern) - 20 pages - Use Case Pages (
/real-estate-virtual-staging) - 10 pages - Comparison Pages (
/compare/boxbrownie-alternative) - 7 pages
Total Indexable Pages: 13,300+
SEO Metrics:
- Target Keywords: "[room type] virtual staging [city]"
- Estimated Monthly Traffic: 50,000-100,000 organic visits by Month 12
- Target Domain Authority: 40+ (via backlinks from real estate blogs)
9.2 Channel Strategy
| Channel | Strategy | CAC Target | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Search | pSEO + content marketing | $0 | Months 1-12 |
| Product Hunt | Launch + featured placement | $50 | Month 2 |
| LinkedIn Ads | Retargeting real estate agents | $30 | Months 3-6 |
| Partnerships | MLS integrations, real estate tools | $20 | Months 6-12 |
| Referral Program | 1 month free for referrer + referee | $15 | Month 4+ |
10. Success Metrics (KPIs)
10.1 Goals & Success Metrics
| Goals | Signals | Metrics | Targets (Y1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Engagement | Users complete staging workflow | Funnel completion rate, Time to first staged image | 70%+ completion rate, under 2 min avg |
| Business Adoption | Active paying customers | Monthly active staging users, Demo-to-paid conversion | 2,000+ WASU, 12%+ conversion rate |
| Platform Utilization | Image generation volume | Images generated/month, Repeat usage rate | 50,000+ images/month, 40%+ repeat usage |
| Customer Satisfaction | User feedback quality | Net Promoter Score, Support ticket volume | NPS 40+, under 5% need support |
10.2 North Star Metric
Weekly Active Staging Users (WASU): Unique users generating at least 1 staged image per week
- Target: 500 WASU by Month 6, 2,000 by Month 12
10.3 Primary Metrics
| Metric | Definition | Target (M6) | Target (M12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRR | Monthly recurring revenue | $15,000 | $39,000 |
| Paid Conversion Rate | Free → Paid / Free signups | 8% | 12% |
| ARPU | Average revenue per user | $35 | $42 |
| Churn Rate | Monthly subscription churn | 10% | 8% |
| LTV | Customer lifetime value | $315 | $525 |
| CAC | Customer acquisition cost | $50 | $35 |
10.4 Product Health Metrics
| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Generation Success Rate | 98%+ | Images generated / upload attempts |
| Time to First Value | Under 2 min | Signup to first generated image |
| Feature Adoption | 60%+ | Users trying Advanced Mode (Pro model) |
| Support Tickets | Under 5% | Tickets / total sessions |
| NPS Score | 40+ | Quarterly survey |
11. Technical Architecture
11.1 Stack Overview
| Layer | Technology | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | Next.js 16 + React 19 + TypeScript | SSR for SEO, App Router for pSEO |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui | Rapid UI development, accessibility |
| Backend | Next.js API Routes + Server Actions | Unified codebase, type safety |
| Database | PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM | Relational data, type-safe queries |
| Auth | NextAuth.js (Google, Email) | Quick implementation, social proof |
| AI | Google Gemini 2.5 Flash / 3 Pro | Best cost/quality ratio for images |
| Storage | Cloudflare R2 | S3-compatible, lower egress costs |
| Payments | Dodo Payments | Stripe alternative, lower fees |
| Analytics | PostHog | Product analytics, session replays |
| Hosting | Vercel | Edge deployment, zero-config scaling |
11.2 Database Schema (Simplified)
-- Users & Authentication
users (id, email, name, createdAt, updatedAt)
accounts (id, userId, provider, providerAccountId)
-- Billing & Credits
subscriptions (id, userId, plan, status, creditsRemaining, currentPeriodEnd)
payments (id, userId, amount, status, provider, createdAt)
creditTransactions (id, userId, amount, type, description, createdAt)
-- Core Product
workspaces (id, userId, name, createdAt)
generatedImages (id, userId, workspaceId, originalUrl, generatedUrl, prompt, style, creditsUsed, createdAt)
-- Admin & Trust
bannedUsers (id, userId, reason, bannedAt, bannedBy, liftedAt)
refundRequests (id, userId, paymentId, reason, status, createdAt)
11.3 Security & Compliance
- GDPR/CCPA: Data deletion requests automated, 30-day retention for deleted accounts
- Rate Limiting: 10 generations/minute per user (Upstash Redis)
- Content Moderation: Automated + manual review for generated images
- Fraud Prevention: Stripe Radar integration, IP-based velocity checks
12. Risk Analysis & Mitigation
12.1 Known Risks
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Quality Degradation | Medium | High | Monitor generation quality daily; fallback to alternative models (Replicate) |
| Gemini API Price Increase | Medium | High | Multi-provider strategy; 60-day pricing lock contracts |
| Competitor Price War | High | Medium | Differentiate on speed (10s vs 60s); focus on enterprise features |
| SEO Algorithm Change | Medium | Medium | Diversify traffic (paid, partnerships); high-quality content standards |
| Credit Card Fraud | Medium | Medium | Stripe Radar; manual review for high-value transactions |
| Regulatory (AI Disclosure) | Low | Medium | Auto-watermark free tier; clear AI-generated disclosure |
13. Go-to-Market Timeline
13.1 Phase 0: Pre-Launch (Months -2 to 0)
- [x] Core image generation pipeline
- [x] Credit system & billing integration
- [x] 13,300+ pSEO pages
- [x] Beta testing with 50 real estate agents
- [x] Unit economics validation
13.2 Phase 1: Launch (Month 1-2)
- [ ] Product Hunt launch
- [ ] LinkedIn organic content campaign
- [ ] Reddit/Indie Hackers community engagement
- [ ] Gather 25 testimonials
13.3 Phase 2: Growth (Months 3-6)
- [ ] Paid acquisition (LinkedIn, Google Ads)
- [ ] Referral program launch
- [ ] First MLS partnership
- [ ] Batch upload feature
13.4 Phase 3: Scale (Months 7-12)
- [ ] Enterprise tier ($299/month)
- [ ] API access for platforms
- [ ] International expansion (UK, AU)
- [ ] Mobile app (React Native)
14. Open Questions & Decisions
14.1 Pending Decisions
-
Free Tier Watermark: Current implementation uses watermark—should we remove for viral growth?
- Recommendation: Keep watermark; upgrade conversion is 3x higher with it
-
Credit Expiration: Credits expire at month-end—should we allow rollover?
- Recommendation: No rollover; drives consistent monthly usage patterns
-
API Access: Should we offer API in 2024 or focus on UI?
- Recommendation: Delay API to H2 2024; focus on self-serve growth
-
Content Moderation: Who reviews flagged images?
- Decision: Automated first pass; manual review queue for admin panel
14.2 Hypotheses to Validate
- Real estate agents will pay $29-59/month for unlimited staging (vs. per-image pricing)
- 10-second generation is compelling enough to overcome quality concerns vs. traditional staging
- pSEO can drive 50K+ organic visits/month within 6 months
15. Appendix
15.1 Glossary
- pSEO: Programmatic Search Engine Optimization—generating landing pages at scale using templates and data
- COGS: Cost of Goods Sold—direct costs of image generation (AI API costs)
- ARPU: Average Revenue Per User—total revenue divided by user count
- LTV: Lifetime Value—predicted revenue from a customer over their lifetime
- CAC: Customer Acquisition Cost—total marketing spend divided by new customers
- WASU: Weekly Active Staging Users—unique users generating ≥1 image per week
- MRR: Monthly Recurring Revenue—predictable subscription revenue per month
- LTV/CAC Ratio: Lifetime value divided by acquisition cost; healthy at 3:1+
15.3 Key Assumptions
- Google Gemini pricing remains stable through 2024
- Real estate market does not experience 20%+ downturn
- No major regulatory changes prohibiting AI-generated staging images
- Vercel & Cloudflare pricing remains favorable