AR try-on
AR Try-on, also known as Augmented Reality Try-on, refers to the use of augmented reality technology to allow customers to virtually try on clothing, accessories, or other fashion items. It involves superimposing digital representations of products onto a live camera feed, enabling users to see how the items would look on them in real-time or through uploaded photos.
AR Try-on provides a virtual fitting experience, enhances customer engagement, reduces return rates, offers personalized shopping experiences, bridges online and offline shopping, contributes to sustainability, and generates valuable data for trend forecasting. By exploiting the potential of AR Try-on, fashion brands can create immersive and interactive experiences for their customers, ultimately driving sales, reducing waste, and staying at the forefront of digital innovation in the industry.
Virtual fitting experience
AR Try-on offers a virtual fitting experience to customers, allowing them to visualize how clothing and accessories would look and fit on their own bodies without physically trying them on. By leveraging the power of augmented reality, users can virtually see themselves wearing different garments, experimenting with various styles, colors, and sizes. This immersive experience enhances the convenience and accessibility of trying on fashion items.
Enhanced customer engagement
AR Try-on provides an interactive and engaging way for customers to interact with fashion products. It allows them to actively participate in the shopping process, exploring different options and experimenting with various looks. This level of engagement fosters a deeper connection between customers and brands, leading to increased satisfaction and a higher likelihood of making a purchase.
Reduced return rates
One of the challenges in online fashion shopping is the uncertainty of fit and style. AR Try-on helps mitigate this issue by providing a realistic preview of how items will look on the customer’s body. By allowing users to virtually try on clothing before making a purchase, AR Try-on reduces the chances of ill-fitting or unsatisfactory purchases. This, in turn, helps minimize return rates and associated costs for both customers and retailers.
Personalized shopping experience
AR Try-on can be customized to cater to individual preferences and body characteristics. By utilizing customer data, such as body measurements or style preferences, AR Try-on can recommend and showcase clothing items that are more likely to fit and align with the customer’s personal style. This personalized approach enhances the shopping experience, making it more tailored to individual needs.
Bridging online and offline shopping
AR Try-on bridges the gap between online and offline shopping experiences. It allows customers to virtually try on items from the comfort of their own homes, combining the convenience of online shopping with the visual and tactile experience of trying on clothes in physical stores. This seamless integration creates a cohesive and omnichannel shopping experience, catering to the preferences of modern users.
Sustainability and reduced environmental impact
AR Try-on contributes to sustainability efforts by reducing the need for physical product samples and in-store try-ons. By eliminating the necessity for shipping and handling of multiple items for fitting purposes, AR Try-on helps reduce the carbon footprint associated with the fashion industry. It also promotes more mindful utilization, as customers can make more informed purchasing decisions, minimizing the potential for wasteful returns.
Trend forecasting and data analytics
AR Try-on generates valuable data on customer preferences, popular styles, and purchasing behaviors. Retailers can leverage this data for trend forecasting, product development, and inventory management. By analyzing customer interactions and preferences within the AR Try-on platform, companies can gain insights into emerging trends, optimize their product offerings, and tailor their marketing strategies.
Case studies
DRESSX – Digital fashion AR try-on ecosystem
DRESSX is a digital fashion platform that offers AR try-on for virtual garments via its app and partner integrations. By overlaying 3D garments onto the wearer’s body in real time, DRESSX demonstrates how AR can support dematerialised fashion consumption, reduce sampling, and explore business models based on digital-only clothing.
Project link
Sephora – Virtual Artist and Virtual Try-On
Sephora’s Virtual Artist / Virtual Try-On tools allow wearers to test makeup products (lipstick, eyeshadow, foundation) on their own faces using AR via mobile and web. This implementation shows how AR try-on can personalise choice, reduce product trial waste, and build data-rich, omni-channel beauty and fashion experiences.
Project link
Warby Parker – Virtual Try-On eyewear app
Warby Parker’s Virtual Try-On feature uses AR and face-mapping to render eyeglass frames on the wearer’s face through the smartphone camera. The system illustrates how AR try-on can support fit evaluation, style comparison, and purchase confidence for wearable products that depend on facial proportions.
Project link
3DLOOK – AR clothing try-on tools
3DLOOK provides mobile body-scanning and AR try-on tools that allow wearers to visualise garments on 3D avatars generated from smartphone photos. Their platform targets fashion brands and retailers seeking better size recommendations, lower return rates, and more engaging digital shopping experiences.
Project link
Holition x Tommy Hilfiger – Tommy Factory AR experience
Creative innovation studio Holition developed AR-led experiences for Tommy Hilfiger’s “Tommy Factory” activation, enabling visitors and online audiences to engage with garments, graphics, and branding elements through interactive overlays. This collaboration exemplifies how AR can extend fashion shows and brand storytelling into immersive, try-on-adjacent experiences that bridge physical and digital touchpoints.
Project link
References
Boardman, R., Henninger, C. E., & Zhu, A. (2020). Augmented reality and virtual reality: New drivers for fashion retail? In N. M. P. Bocken & C. E. Henninger (Eds.), Technology-driven sustainability: Innovation in the fashion supply chain. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15483-7_9
Baytar, F., Chung, T., & Shin, E. (2020). Evaluating garments in augmented reality when shopping online. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 24(4), 667–683. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-05-2018-0077
Krzyżaniak, M., Kaszuba, K., & Paliwoda, E. (2023). Digital fashionization: A scientific literature review. Journal of Contemporary Economics and Business, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2023.178.6
Plotkina, D., & Saurel, H. (2019). Me or just like me? The role of virtual try-on and physical appearance in apparel M-retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 362–377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.03.022
Zak, M. (2020). Augmented reality try-on adoption in the online clothing industry: Understanding key challenges and critical success factors (Master’s thesis, University of Twente). University of Twente Student Theses. https://essay.utwente.nl/84375/1/Zak_MA_BMS.pdf