Augmented Reality in Ecommerce: Benefits and Examples

Online shoppers can’t pick up, try on, or inspect products before buying, and ecommerce augmented reality (AR) fixes that. AR lets online shoppers view 3D models of a product, giving a lifelike appearance and simulating the in-person shopping experience of viewing a product up close.

Clutch’s 2026 report found 58% of customers use AR before making a purchase, and 54% plan to increase their use of virtual reality (VR) and AR technology over the next two years. 

This guide shares how to create 3D models of your products to offer AR to online shoppers, with examples of what ecommerce AR looks like in practice. 

What is augmented reality in ecommerce?

Augmented reality displays digital information on real-world situations through a smartphone camera. Bands use AR to offer virtual try-ons or “view in your room” functionality for online shoppers who can’t interact with a product in person. 

Outside of gaming and social media creation, online shopping is one of the most common uses of augmented reality. Clutch found that 30% of consumers use AR for online shopping and virtual try-ons, with 61% using their mobile device to access the technology.

“We’re entering into this phase where we get to experience these products, on our face, in our home, in our environment, on our body, in these ways that actually bring us kind of full circle back to the experience we used to have when we would go visit stores in person,” says Russ Maschmeyer, former Shopify AR product lead and design director of GenAI at Meta.

“Except now it’s so much better, because instead of seeing that couch in a showroom, you can actually see it in your living room, where it’s going to end up.”

AR vs. VR: key differences

AR differs from VR in that it overlays digital content in the real world through a smartphone camera. For example, Warby Parker uses AR to let shoppers virtually try on eyeglasses using their phone’s camera before committing. 

VR, in contrast, places users inside a fully computer-generated environment.

Alo, for example, uses VR for their virtual store, where shoppers can browse digital displays and see virtual mannequins wearing the brand’s clothing, creating an immersive shopping experience that replicates brick-and-mortar stores.

How ecommerce AR works: The data behind the conversion lift

More than half of shoppers (52%) choose in-person shopping over online because they want to experience and try products in person, says Chatmeter’s 2025 report. Augmented reality bridges that gap if you don’t have a physical store. Online shoppers can see a 360-view of the product up close, place them in their own space, or virtually try them on while comparing options. 

AR improves buyer confidence. When shoppers can visualize a piece in their actual life before purchasing, they’re more likely to complete the purchase—and less likely to return it afterward.

The main benefits of AR ecommerce include:

• Add-to-cart rates. Rebecca Minkoff’s AR feature displays a 3D model of each purse. It found shoppers were 44% more likely to add an item to their cart after interacting with it in 3D. 
• Conversion. Oakywood’s 3D models let ecommerce customers see a life-sized version of their furniture in their own home. “[Customers] reach out post-purchase to say the AR model was a game changer and the thing that made them purchase those products,” says founder Mateusz Haberny.
• Return reduction. Gunner Kennels uses AR so shoppers can place a life-size dog crate next to their pet before buying. This reduced return rates by 5%. VP of marketing Macy Benton says, “3D models have served as a tool to further bridge the gap between a retail experience and online.”

Ecommerce AR by product category: where it works best

Augmented reality works in product categories where customers benefit from seeing an item up close and personal, overlaid on their face or in their environment. 

Here are some examples of ecommerce industries incorporating augmented reality:

Furniture and home décor: Place-in-room AR

Size-related issues are the second-most popular reason why customers return products, according to DHL’s 2025 ecommerce logistics report. Place-in-room AR lets shoppers see how furniture and home décor fit in their space before buying. 

Oakywood, for example, uses AR to show customers what bespoke furniture will look like before they place an order. The retailer went from almost no custom orders to up to 300 custom orders per month with Shopify AR.

Beauty and cosmetics: Shade and fit visualization

Finding the right cosmetics online is no easy task. Facial complexion products have the highest difficulty scores (41%), followed by self-tanning (38%) and body makeup products (38%).

Virtual try-ons overlay different makeup shades onto a shopper’s face so they can find the right match. Revlon, for example, lets customers upload a photo or enable a live camera to see what cosmetics look like on their face.

Fashion, footwear, and accessories: Virtual try-on

Virtual try-on overlays 3D versions of a piece of clothing onto a customer’s body. Snapchat lets brands create these experiences with AR filters. It found 63% of users think virtual try-ons make online purchase decisions easier.

Rebecca Minkoff implemented this type of ecommerce AR for their designer handbags and achieved a 65% purchase lift on AR-enabled product pages. They also found that customers were 27% more likely to place an order after interacting with it in 3D.

“When people have the intent to shop without physically being able to touch and see a product, the more options you can give them to create that confidence is helpful,” says Sarah Sheldon, senior director of global ecommerce and digital at Rebecca Minkoff.

Jewelry and eyewear: Scale and style matching

Fittingbox’s 2025 report found 54% of customers who weren’t ready to buy glasses online wanted to check the frames fit properly. Shoppers can compare styles and see how frames fit their face before placing an order.

Shoppers are open to this type of AR assistance: 29% of glasses shoppers have already used virtual try-on technology at least once, per the same report. 

How to add AR to your Shopify store

Augmented reality technology is no longer reserved for ecommerce brands with huge tech budgets. Shopify includes native 3D model upload and 3D scanning capabilities — there’s no third-party AR platform required for basic implementation. 

Option 1: Use the Shopify 3D scanner (DIY, free)

The Shopify 3D scanner lets you create 3D models of your products using a compatible iPhone or iPad. It takes about 15 minutes to scan and build each model. Once complete, customers can see a 360-degree digital model from the product page on your ecommerce website.

You’ll need a bright, well-lit space to scan your product. The item must also be at least two inches in length, width, and height. 

Once you’ve got that:

1. Open the Shopify app and grant permission to access your camera .
2. Find the product you want to create a 3D model for. 
3. Tap Add images, videos, or 3D models. 
4. Select 3D scanner.
5. Take three separate scans of your product following the prompts. 
6. Press Continue and allow the scanner to process the model.
7. Review the 3D model from all angles. 
8. Press Add to product and Save. 

Make tweaks to your 3D models with the no-code 3D viewer configuration. You can adjust the lighting, camera angle, and background directly from the Shopify admin.

Option 2: Upload GLB/USDZ files to product pages

If you’ve already created GLB or USDZ files in compatible 3D software, you can upload them directly to Shopify product pages.

Ruggable takes this approach. “We upload the 3D files to Shopify as if it were a product image, and we’re able to render the 3D image on our product page and then launch an AR experience from there,” says director of product management Daniel Graupensperger.

Option 3: Hire a Shopify Partner to build 3D models

Agency partners can take the task of 3D modeling off your plate entirely. Find vendors in the Shopify Partner Directory who specialize in this technology. It’s suitable for products where DIY scanning isn’t viable.

What AR costs (and what it returns)

How much you’ll need to budget for ecommerce AR depends on the route you take. Costs range from free native Shopify tools to fully custom AR buildouts for brands with specialized requirements.

Julie Deane, founder and CEO of The Cambridge Satchel Company, says Shopify’s native augmented reality tools let them experiment with AR without huge development costs. 

“The fact that we can offer this kind of AR experience with our budget puts us on a level playing field with people who have much greater resources than we do,” Julie says. “I’ve no doubt that if big luxury brands create this kind of AR experience [in-house], they would be paying ten times what we are.”

How smaller brands compete with AR on Shopify

Shopify’s native AR tools help smaller brands create 3D models and offer immersive experiences to online shoppers. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Display AR on ecommerce product pages

Upload 3D models of each product to the media section in your Shopify product settings. Customers can then rotate each product in 3D directly from the product page. 

Shop Minis and virtual try-ons in the Shop app

Over 250 million verified shoppers worldwide use the Shop app. If you add it as an online sales channel, products may automatically appear in the Shop Minis section, including virtual try-on features built by Shopify or Shopify Partners.