How AR Try-on Clothes Work: Benefits of Virtual Try-on

If you’ve ever tried on a pair of sunglasses or lipstick on a brand’s website by using your phone’s front-facing camera, you have interacted with augmented reality, or AR. What started as the purview of NASA and the US Air Force Research Lab became popularized as a gimmick in movies like Clueless, games like Pokémon Go, and app features like Snapchat’s face filters.

Today, retailers such as Adidas, ASOS, and Macy’s employ virtual fitting rooms. Fashion and lifestyle platforms Zalando and Net-a-Porter use machine learning and computer vision for their virtual fitting rooms. And luxury brands such as Fendi, Burberry, Prada, and Gucci have implemented AR technologies to varying degrees.

AR is an invaluable asset in fashion retail, as it allows customers to try on clothes from the comfort of their homes before they buy—leading to increased sales. In interviews with trade and B2B publications such as Glossy and Sourcing Journal, AR clothing try-on company Perfitly reported that AR try-on technology boosts both time spent browsing and online sales by almost 20%, and it also reduces returns up to 64%. Read on to learn more about the use cases, pros, and cons of AR try-on clothes.

What is AR clothing try-on?

AR clothing try-on refers to three-dimensional digital clothing that is projected onto a live video of a person on their phone, tablet, personal computer, or AR mirror. With sophisticated AR, moving your body makes the digital assets move with it. Additionally, uploading a static photo that then gets “dressed” by digital try-on technology also qualifies as an AR clothing try-on tool.

AR differs from virtual reality (VR) because it overlays digital assets—whether they be garments, accessories, makeup, or filters—on real-world videos or photos. By contrast, VR creates an entirely digital simulated environment, your own likeness included.

With AR try-on clothes, online stores can recreate the in-store shopping experience while freeing customers from both location and time constraints. They can try on clothes wherever and whenever they want, even outside business hours. And unlike typical online shopping, AR-assisted ecommerce allows them to try on clothes without purchasing first.

AR is useful for making sales on both online and offline channels. For instance, in-store AR mirrors bridge the gap between the physical and the digital, creating an immersive online shopping experience and making suggestions based on body shape and personal preferences. An AR mirror in a dressing room connects to the brand’s ecommerce page and prompts the customer to select what they want to try on, while keeping the rest of their outfit as-is. They might try on shoes, tops, bottoms, and more in different styles and colorways—all without having to return to the sales floor.

Benefits of AR clothing try-on

• Decreased returns
• Improved personalization
• Differentiation

AR try-on technology combines convenience, personalization, and sustainability, as lower returns benefit both the business and the environment. Customers can enjoy novelty, convenience, and gamification, while retailers in the fashion industry maximize conversions, reduce attrition, and increase personalization.

Decreased returns

AR virtual try-ons can reduce returns when you sell via digital channels. When customers get a sense of how clothing fits and complements their complexion before making a purchase, they’re less likely to change their mind about the clothing later. In fact, virtual try-on company Perfitly reported in an interview with B2B publication Glossy that their customers see their return rates decline by up to 64%. 

Improved personalization

AR try-on technology also harnesses customer data to allow retailers to offer personalized recommendations. This helps build closer relationships between retailers and customers. Suggesting upsells and complementary products tailored to a customer’s tastes can increase their satisfaction and your bottom line.

Differentiation

In the crowded ecommerce landscape, attention is everything. “Brands leveraging AR experiences are 41% more likely to capture consumer attention compared to those that don’t,” explains immersive ecommerce company ArtLabs. By offering AR try-on, you provide a novel experience that is both helpful and fun, giving shoppers a reason to choose you over the competition—and contributing to long-term brand loyalty.

Challenges of AR clothing try-on

• Technical limitations
• Lack of sensory input
• Labor-intensive implementation

As with any emerging technology, virtual try-on in the fashion world has room for improvement in performance, rendering quality, and labor intensity. 

Technical limitations

The performance of AR clothing try-on technology depends on both the hardware and software the retailer and the customer use. Not all devices or lighting conditions are conducive to a seamless virtual try-on experience. If customers rely on a subpar camera to try on clothes, the quality of the video will translate into a less-than-ideal shopping experience.

One positive case study is Rebecca Minkoff, which used 3D modeling and AR to portray the most realistic image of its products so shoppers could get a better look at the textures and shapes of a garment. The assets were developed through technology available to all Shopify Plus merchants, allowing for augmented reality to bring motion to products through 3D modeling.

Lack of sensory input

Silk, linen, cotton, wool, polyester, and all other fabrics have different textures, and they all drape differently on the body. In a virtual try-on session, customers can’t touch the items they’re trying on, which makes it harder to assess the feel and fit of the clothing. Consider, for example, the way front pleats and pockets impact the fit of a pair of pants depending on one’s body shape. Creating a variety of good 3D models with detailed textures and varied fits, which Shopify Partners can deliver, can help offset this limitation.

Labor-intensive implementation

Uploading products to the AR try-on software is labor-intensive, as the creation of assets requires you to take photos of a product from all angles before creating the actual 3D model, which has to balance detail and a small file size to avoid lag. A variety of virtual try-on apps in the Shopify App Store facilitate implementation with minimal hassle.

Best apps for virtual try-on clothes

If you want to implement AR clothing try-on features on your Shopify website, you can opt for custom AR solutions or leverage one of many existing apps purpose-built for this use case. These include:

• Virtual Try On. Nivera’s AI-powered virtual try-on uses a single-image upload to allow users to get a sense of what a garment might look like. A single click allows the app to run on your store, and it comes with an in-house dashboard that tracks conversions and sales from the virtual try-on.

• Camweara. Camweara allows your customers to try on apparel, accessories, jewelry, and even electronics in real time, via a realistic, camera-powered try-on experience. They can choose between live video mode, photo mode, and a 3D view feature.

• OnYou. OnYou is an AI-powered virtual try-on app designed specifically for fashion brands. A single photo upload allows customers to try on multiple outfits, and the size-recommendation feature helps minimize returns.