AR Viewer Guide for Ecommerce: Implementation Tips

Augmented reality (AR) entered the public imagination with whimsy in the form of the game Pokémon Go, but its practical applications have since made it a valuable tool in a range of industries, including ecommerce. By projecting realistic 3D images into a customer’s own space or field of vision, AR viewer technology can make try-before-buying simpler, accessible, and more convenient for customers. 

The AR-in-retail market is on a growth trajectory, valued at $9.1 billion in 2025 and projected to grow to $67.7 billion by 2032. This expansion is being driven by AR viewers in furniture visualization and virtual try-on tools, which have been shown to boost customers’ confidence before purchase and to reduce return rates.

In this guide, learn how AR viewers work, how ecommerce brands use them, and steps to consider as you integrate AR features into your own online store.

What is an AR viewer?

An AR viewer is technology that layers virtual objects over a real-world scene or image, blending digital content with a user’s physical environment. Through a combination of software and hardware built into many phones, tablets, and some AR-enabled wearables (like smart glasses and smart watches), an AR viewer maps a user’s surroundings so it can place 3D objects realistically within a scene.

In ecommerce, it helps shoppers visualize products in their own space or on themselves before purchasing and is designed to reduce uncertainty in buying decisions. AR viewers rely on several technologies working together: 

• Sensors. Device hardware collects information about the user’s surroundings and movement so the AR viewer can understand the environment.

• Scene mapping software. Software analyzes that information to identify light and shadow, horizontal and vertical surfaces, and distances, creating a digital understanding of the environment.

• 3D models. The AR viewer places 3D models of products into the scene, giving users a real-world look at the items. These models can be created with 3D scanning tools or professional rendering software.

Ecommerce applications of AR viewers

While AR viewers have applications across a variety of sectors, their ecommerce applications solve a long-running challenge for online shopping: increasing customer confidence when shoppers can’t see, test, or try products in person.

Common ecommerce applications for AR viewers include:

• Showing how a sofa or desk looks in your living space

• Visualizing a roof-mounted bike rack on your car

• Previewing how a jacket or sweater might look while worn 

• Comparing paint colors on an accent wall

AR viewers can reduce the need for customers to order items like clothing or eyeglasses solely to evaluate them at home. That can lower return rates while reducing the shipping, packaging, and processing footprints associated with those returns.

How to implement AR viewer technology

1. Identify products that benefit most from AR
2. Explore tools that fit your brand
3. Ensure your AR models depict your products accurately
4. Protect customer privacy and data
5. Promote adoption and gather feedback
6. Measure performance and refine your strategy

If you’re considering adding AR viewer technology into your ecommerce storefront, here are some tips to help you choose the right tools and optimize the customer experience.

1. Identify products that benefit most from AR

Not every product is equally suitable for AR viewing. But your catalog and recent analytics are both valuable troves of information that can help to shape your AR viewing strategy and 3D catalog.

AR viewers work especially well for products that benefit from trying on (like clothes), or trying out in a customer’s own context that can be cumbersome or resource-intensive (like furniture). Style products and accessories that need to be matched to face shape or size are also great candidates for AR-based virtual try-on. 

Other products that could benefit from AR viewing:

• Ceiling fans, pendant lights, and other home décor that requires installation

• Patio furniture 

• Area rugs

• Accent tiles and wall art

• Sunglasses and eyeglasses

• Cosmetics 

Your own content can offer helpful direction for curating your AR offerings, too. Do you frequently find the same products in abandoned carts? Are there size charts and item details on product pages that receive more clicks than others? These clues could point to products that customers need more contextual information about. 

And your current returns and abandoned cart data offer valuable baselines around which to structure goals and metrics that will help you track the effectiveness of adding AR mode to your offerings.

2. Explore tools that fit your brand

Before shopping third-party vendors, it’s worth checking out what your existing stack has for AR compatibility. For example, Shopify has several no-code AR tools and integrations in the Shopify App Store. Explore these apps to get started: 

• Vizbl. Vizbl allows sellers to integrate AR into their existing ecommerce websites and mobile apps, and has additional features like the ability to view multiple products from a shop in AR at the same time directly in their browser. Vizbl’s AR software is currently free.

• Picture It. Picture It is an app that helps give your customers AR previews of art and décor in their homes, allowing them to drag and rotate the art to different spots on a wall. Plans start at $19 per month. 

• GenLook. GenLook is a virtual try-on app that enables customers to upload a photo to try on clothes. There is a free plan available with limited try-ons. Paid plans start at $20/month. 

You can also develop models using Shopify’s 3D scanner tool (for both Android and iOS) and adjust lighting, background color, zoom, and camera angles of 3D images directly from your Shopify admin. Once uploaded to your shop’s product pages, 3D models (.GLB and .UDSZ) are automatically optimized and viewable to customers using iOS and Android devices. 

3. Ensure your AR models depict your products accurately

To create an AR experience, you first need 3D models of your products that customers can place and view in their own environment. Depending on the tools you choose, you can make these models in-house or with a professional partner. 

If your team is working with an AR software development kit (SDK), the SDK will provide specs and file types needed to build the 3D models. High-quality models start with accurate dimensions (in millimeters) and well-lit photos of each product. Use a professional camera and take clear, well-labeled photos from many angles. Small details or textures that are important to the product may require additional photos.

Once the 3D models are built, testing the model viewer will help verify whether the images load easily for customers and are accurate, believable, and clear. Ideally, a brand’s viewing experience will be similar across device types, so previewing 3D models across as many devices and operating systems as possible will help to identify whether any file revisions or adjustments are needed before going live. 

Here are some key criteria to check:

• Does the product appear at scale when placed in the room?

• Are the edges of the object well-defined? 

• Are there any areas that are blurry or distorted?

4. Protect customer privacy and data 

By gathering environmental or biometric data and accessing a user’s smartphone, desktop, or tablet camera, AR viewers also raise important privacy issues. While a brand’s privacy protections may vary depending on region and product, here are some general guidelines to follow to protect your customer’s data and maintain their trust:

• Data limits. Limit what data you collect to the minimum required for the AR experience to function, and anonymize or aggregate user data to reduce the chance of identification.

• Encryption. Use encryption and industry best practices such as two-factor authentication for any data you collect.

• Compliance. Understand your region’s privacy laws and regulations. If you operate in multiple jurisdictions, adhere to the stronger of the regulations.

• Transparency. Treat your customers as partners by offering a straightforward, simple privacy notice about what data you collect and what choices they have in how it is collected, accessed, and stored.

• Collaboration. Make sure third-party vendors and partners are on the same privacy page. Since AR viewers can involve multiple companies and service providers, choose partners whose privacy and data policies align with your brand’s.

5. Promote adoption and gather feedback

Integrating augmented reality into your ecommerce store is meant to make your customers’ lives easier, so be sure they know about the feature and how to use it once it’s live. Ensure that AR features are visible in your website navigation bar and that relevant product pages and FAQs are updated to drive customers to the tool and instruct them how to use it. A simple “View In Your Space” button can direct visitors to try out the feature. 

Stage a soft launch phase and gather feedback from trusted customers and peers before broadcasting the AR viewer more widely. For instance, you could ask customers how well the AR experience worked on their device, if there were any delays in loading the files, and whether they understood intuitively how to use the tool or needed more direction. 

A soft launch also gives you the chance to celebrate your shop and offer discount codes or prizes as you gather customer feedback. 

6. Measure performance and refine your strategy 

As your customers begin to interact with the AR technology and your featured products, the scene viewer on your site can also yield valuable digital insights for your brand. As you roll out AR viewing in your online store, ask: 

• Did abandoned cart rates decrease for AR-compatible products?

• Did return rates change on AR-viewed products?

• Which products did shoppers try out or try on most often? 

• On average, how much time did customers spend with products in augmented reality?

• Did AR capabilities influence conversion rates? 

Your developer team can also help identify what insights your AR tools can provide and how they can inform key performance indicators (KPIs). Study at least two quarters of AR-informed data before making significant changes to your strategy.