Virtual try-on and 3D viewer: How do these tools help eyewear brands increase online sales?
Nowadays, the eyewear industry has seen immense growth due to the trends of using various eyeglasses and sunglasses to elevate their entire look and give a spotlight on their face. However, users don’t have much time to visit the physical store, so they explore various eyewear products virtually with the help of virtual try-ons and 3D viewers, which provide them with some engaging features, such as 3D models, rotation, zoom, spinning, and realistic visualization of products.
According to various market research reports, the global virtual try-on for eyewear market size was valued at $1.2 billion in 2024 and is forecasted to hit $7.8 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 23.1%. It shows how the virtual try-on and 3D viewer tools have been helping the eyewear industry in using both retail innovation and cutting-edge technologies to provide their customers with a personalized, convenient, and interactive way to try on various eyewear products virtually before making a purchase decision.
Apart from that, using virtual try-ons and 3D viewers helps eyewear brands to improve their sales and conversions on their e-commerce store by helping their customers make more informed and confident purchases during virtual shopping. In this section, I will provide you with detailed information on how an eyewear brand uses a virtual try-on and 3D viewer on its e-commerce platform to improve and increase its online sales and conversions.
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What is a virtual try-on and a 3D viewer for eyewear products, and what are their key features?
Both the virtual try-on and 3D viewer help eyewear brands and businesses to provide their customers with an engaging and immersive experience by enabling them to display their products interactively using AR overlays and 3D models. Before understanding how these two different tools collectively help eyewear brands to improve and increase their sales, it is very important to understand what these tools are and their key features.
In this section, I will provide you with detailed information on what a virtual try-on and 3D viewer for eyewear brands are and what their key features are.
Virtual try-on for eyewear brand
Virtual try-on is an online tool that uses augmented reality and advanced AI algorithms, which help users explore and try different eyewear products with the help of AR overlays on their face through their device’s camera.
It provides users with a real-time shopping experience by allowing them to visualize how glasses will look on them in real life with the help of AR-based try-ons, which will also provide them with an interactive preview of the style, size, and color of the glasses while helping them to make confident and informed purchase decisions.
Key features
- Size and fit measurement: It provides users with an idea of the size and fit measurements of the eyewear products on their face with the help of the AR overlays, which will help them select the most suitable products according to their face shape and features.
- Realistic AR mapping: It provides users with real-time face mapping and detection features, which allow them to analyze and identify their facial anchor points, including eyes, ears, and nose, providing them with 3D rendering of high-resolution and photorealistic frames along with head movement.
- Customization option: It provides users with a personalized shopping experience by offering them various customization options, allowing them to immediately swap among various frames in different styles, colors, and shapes, so that they can select glasses according to their preferences.
- Before-and-after comparison: It provides users with a lifelike shopping experience of comparing products among various options, along with before-and-after comparisons, which will make it easier for them to understand which product is suitable for them while offering them an in-store-like shopping experience.
3D viewer for eyewear brand
A 3D viewer is an online tool that helps users explore products using 3D models, which provides them with an interactive shopping experience by enabling them to rotate, spin, and zoom products so that they can explore products from different angles and perspectives.
It provides users with high-resolution visuals and models, which they can use to understand the detailing of products, while offering them photorealistic renderings of materials like acetate, metal, and lenses to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping experiences.
Key features
- 360-degree preview: It provides users with the ability to explore products from different angles and perspectives by offering them engaging features, such as rotation, zoom, and spin, enabling them to have a closer look at specific details, including textures, designs, and more.
- Hyper-realistic rendering: It provides users with a realistic visualization of products by using advanced rendering and enhanced realism to help them simulate how the product will interact with different lighting for different materials and textures, including shiny and matte.
- 3D modeling: It provides users with 3D models and high-quality visuals of products, along with real-time and dynamic lighting, which will help them to visualize the looks of products while enabling them to simulate how the frames will look in real-world environments.
- Real-time customization: It provides users with a personalized experience by enabling them to customize the eyewear products, which will help them select the frames according to their preferences by visualizing changes in real-time so that they can make more informed decisions.
Differentiate between virtual try-on and 3D viewer for eyewear brands and sellers
How does using both virtual try-ons and 3D viewers help eyewear brands to improve their sales on online platforms?
For eyewear brands, it is very important to meet customers’ expectations and needs by providing them with the best suitable glasses according to their facial features and structure, which sometimes becomes difficult during virtual shopping. Due to this, eyewear brands and businesses fail to make their targeted sales on their e-commerce platform, as their customers fail to understand which frame will suit them the most, depending on their face structure and features.
Therefore, using both the virtual try-on and 3D viewer helps eyewear brands to provide their customers with an engaging shopping experience, which will help them to make more informed decisions while enabling brands to improve their online sales and conversions. In this section, I will help you understand how using these two different tools will help you provide your customers with an immersive shopping experience while improving your online sales on the e-commerce platform.
1. Reduce product returns
With the help of virtual try-ons and 3D viewers, eyewear brands can help their customers make more informed and confident buying decisions by enabling them to explore and try different eyewear products with the help of AR overlays and 3D models.
These two tools also help eyewear brands to increase customer satisfaction and foster their loyalty, which will decrease their product return rates due to mismatch uncertainty while helping the brand to improve its online sales with higher customer satisfaction and confidence.
2. Higher conversion rates
By using the virtual try-on and 3D viewers, online brands and sellers can improve their conversion rates on their e-commerce websites or apps by replacing static product images with high-quality visuals and 3D models, which will help them explore every detail of products.
Apart from that, the combination of these tools will provide users with engaging features, including rotation, zoom, and spin, which will also help them to explore products from different angles and perspectives.
3. Enhanced user engagement
Using both virtual try-on and 3D viewer will help the eyewear brand to improve their engagement rate on the e-commerce website or app because it helps them to keep their customers engaged by using advanced technologies, such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and 3D modeling.
Apart from that, it also provides users with some engaging yet immersive features, such as AR overlays, 3D models, and 360-degree viewers, which will help the brand to increase session time on the website or app while enabling them to explore every detail of the frame or glasses.
4. Reduced cart abandonment
It helps businesses to reduce their cart abandonment rate or improve their add-to-cart rate by allowing their customers to visualize different glasses or frames on their face in real-world environments with the help of AR overlays, which will help them to make more informed and confident decisions.
It also helps businesses to reduce customer hesitation by combining the intricate details of products with 3D models, which will provide their customers with the ability to see how glasses will look on their face in different lighting conditions.
Different strategies to use for eyewear products to improve online sales
To boost online sales, online eyewear brands and businesses can use tools, such as virtual try-ons and 3D viewers, which will help them to provide their customers with an engaging and satisfying online shopping experience. However, brands have to opt for some key strategies, including mobile-optimized design, targeted social media campaigns, and offering virtual consultations, which will help the brand to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping experiences.
In this section, I will provide you with detailed information on different strategies that eyewear brands and businesses can opt for, which will help them to provide their customers with a better shopping experience while improving their online sales by using virtual try-ons and 3D viewers.
1. Immersive technologies
To provide users with an engaging yet immersive shopping experience, brands can use advanced technologies, such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and 3D modeling, which will help their customers to explore and try products with enhanced realism.
Apart from that, it will also help the brand to improve its conversion rates and online sales by allowing its customers to visualize products and their details through 360-degree viewers, 3D models, and AR overlays.
2. Personalization tools
Another strategy that eyewear brands can opt for is integrating and implementing personalization or AI-based tools, which will help online sellers and businesses to increase their online sales by offering them personalized shopping experiences.
It provides users with engaging features, such as virtual try-on, product configurator, and 3D viewer, which will allow them to make informed decisions during online shopping by customizing products according to their needs and preferences.
3. High-quality visual content
By providing users with high-quality images, models, and visual content, brands and businesses can provide their customers with detailed information about their products on their e-commerce website or app, which will help them to see intricate details of products with 3D models and 360-degree viewers.
Apart from that, it will also help eyewear brands to increase their sales and conversions by increasing customer satisfaction with the product, by offering them detailed product descriptions.
4. Mobile-first approach
Always try to make sure that your e-commerce website or app is optimized for various devices and platforms, including mobile devices, desktops, and tablets, irrespective of their screen size and resolution.
It will also help businesses to optimize their store for both web browsers and mobile devices while offering their customers a fast, responsive, and easy-to-navigate online store so that they can target a wider audience across different devices and platforms.
5. Omnichannel integration
Another effective strategy that eyewear brands and businesses can opt for on their e-commerce store is performing omnichannel integration, as it will help them to provide their customers with a similar shopping experience across various devices and platforms.
With the help of this strategy, businesses can bridge the gap between the online and offline shopping experience for their customers while enhancing convenience and trust among them for their products and services.
6. Streamlined purchase process
Brands need to ensure that they provide their customers with a streamlined exploration and purchase experience from browsing to checkout, which will help the brand improve its conversion rates and reduce the cart abandonment rate on the e-commerce platform.
Apart from that, it will also help businesses to increase their online sales by providing their customers with easy and free returns along with clear pricing and a secure checkout process, which will also foster their trust and loyalty towards them.
Core technologies behind the working of a virtual try-on and 3D viewer for an eyewear brand
Virtual try-on and 3D viewers use a combination of several core technologies, such as 3D modeling, computer vision, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, which help online sellers and brands to provide their customers with real-time, accurate, and photorealistic digital fitting. Apart from that, it also helps online sellers and businesses to build stronger and more trusted relationships with their customers by bridging the gap between the online and offline shopping experiences.
In this section, I will provide you with detailed information about the core technologies that are used behind the working of a virtual try-on and 3D viewer for eyewear brands and businesses, which will also help them to increase their online sales and conversions.
1. Computer vision
To provide users with a realistic experience, both the virtual try-on and the 3D viewer tool use computer vision technology that provides their customers with enhanced features like recognition and tracking of real-world objects.
It also provides users with a precise placement of frames and glasses during virtual try-on, which will enable them to understand and visualize the item in the real environment with the help of visual data and the device’s camera.
2. Artificial intelligence
With the help of artificial intelligence technology, eyewear brands can understand the preferences and choices of their customers because it provides them with data-driven insights on different products and items.
It also helps eyewear sellers and brands to provide their customers with personalized recommendations and tailored services, which will offer them a more customized experience, along with assisted product suggestion engines, virtual assistants, and customer service tools.
3. Augmented reality
Another technology used by virtual try-ons and 3D viewers is augmented reality, which helps eyewear brands to provide their customers with the facility of AR overlays, enabling them to visualize the virtual products in the real world.
It enables brands to offer their customers features, like virtual try-ons and 360-degree previews, that will help them to overlay digital content on a realistic environment and boost their confidence during online shopping.
4. 3D modeling
To allow users to explore products and provide them with an in-person-like experience, it is necessary to provide them with interactive and engaging 3D models of products, which can be done with the help of 3D modeling technology.
By using this technology, businesses and brands can create high-quality models of their products, which they can use to represent their products interactively on their e-commerce store while enabling their customers to explore and examine items from different angles and perspectives.
5. E-commerce integration
With the help of e-commerce integration, brands can provide their customers with more back-end support by connecting the AR, 3D, and VR experiences with the product catalog and payment gateways.
Apart from that, it also helps online sellers and brands to manage their customer database, orders, inventory, and shopping carts in one place while providing their customers with the feature of real-time payment updates according to configurations made by them during personalization.
6. Machine learning
To provide users with a personalized experience, the virtual try-on and 3D viewer use machine learning technology that helps the eyewear brand perform analysis of data-driven insights so that they can understand the needs and preferences of their customers.
By using this technology, e-commerce sellers and manufacturers can improve user experience through data analysis, recommendation engines, and predictive models that will help them understand customer insights and demand forecasting.
How to integrate the virtual try-on and 3D viewer SDK into a Shopify-based e-commerce platform?
An eyewear brand can integrate the combination of a virtual try-on and a 3D viewer on a Shopify-based e-commerce platform using two different methods, including a Shopify-based application and a software development kit (SDK). With the help of these two methods, developers can implement and integrate these two tools on their e-commerce website or app with zero to minimal knowledge of coding, with minimal time-to-market.
In this section, I will provide you with detailed information on how an online eyewear brand can integrate and implement these two different tools on its e-commerce platform so that it can improve its online sales while providing its customers with a satisfactory shopping experience.
1. Using a Shopify-based app
- Select an app: According to your business needs and requirements, browse the Shopify App Store for a virtual try-on and 3D viewer by understanding and reviewing their features.
- Install the app: Then, install the application by navigating to the selected app's listing in the Shopify app store, and start the installation after reviewing the necessary permissions, which you can do after redirecting to the app's dashboard within Shopify admin after installation.
- Prepare and enable product data: Now, follow the app's instructions to prepare data according to your products, which you can do by using the existing 2D photos for AI-based VTO or by uploading high-quality 3D models in GLB or USDZ formats.
- Add a feature to the theme: After creating and enabling product data, add the feature to your Shopify theme by navigating to the “Online Store” under the “Themes” option, where you can customize the feature by selecting the “Customize” option on your pre-existing theme. After that, add the product information by adding a block under the “Product Information” section or selecting the app's block and hitting the “Save” button to save your changes.
- Test the experience: Always make sure to test the experience on the website or app before making it live because it will help you to understand the impact of the tool on the store's performance while providing your customers with a smooth and seamless shopping experience.
2. Using a software development kit (SDK)
- Create a Shopify account: First of all, create a Shopify partner account that will provide you with access to a development store for testing when you use a third-party SDK on Shopify's theme code editor.
- Back up the theme: Navigate to the Shopify admin to back up your existing theme by going to the “Online Store” option under the "Themes" section, under which you have to click the "Actions" button below the "Duplicate" on your live theme to create a backup.
- Access theme code: After that, find the duplicate theme by hitting the "Actions" button under the "Edit code" section, where you will get access to the theme code and start the integration process of the SDK with the e-commerce platform.
- Embed the SDK code: After that, start embedding the code by creating a new JavaScript file in the "Assets" folder, which you will get in the SDK's documentation, and paste the viewer's code. You can also modify the section according to your needs by defining a custom <model-viewer> element or adding a "Custom Liquid" section to the product page.
- Link with APIs: Now, integrate the SDK with the desired APIs according to your needs and requirements, which you can also use to provide your customers with a seamless checkout process along with customized product variants.
- Upload 3D models: After that, make sure to add all your products in the Shopify Admin's Media section by associating them with 3D models in GLB or USDZ format so that they can work seamlessly in the Shopify environment.
- Test the code: Once you are done with creating 3D models, always test the code before making it live for your audience to understand that it is working properly and doesn't impact your store's performance.
GlamAR’s virtual try-on and 3D viewer for eyewear brands and businesses
GlamAR is a leading solution provider for brands dealing in the beauty, makeup, clothing, eyewear, and furniture industries to help them increase customer satisfaction and engagement. It provides brands with multiple solutions, including virtual try-ons, 3D configurators, 360-degree viewers, and virtual stores, offering their customers an engaging and immersive experience.
To help eyewear brands provide their customers with an engaging experience, it offers a virtual try-on and 3D viewers that allow users to try different frames and glasses using the AR overlay technology before making any purchase decisions. It provides users with multiple features, including PD measurement, virtual store, and product configurator, enabling them to explore and customize multiple products through their device’s camera.
It also helps eyewear sellers and brands to increase their conversion rate by 94%, because it helps them to provide their customers with a real-time experience with the help of 3D models and AR overlays. It also enables them to make their online catalog by offering them seamless integration and multiple customization options to help them maintain their image and identity throughout the website or e-commerce platform.
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Key features
- Global accessibility: It helps the brand to reach a global audience by providing them with accessibility to explore products anytime and anywhere using the virtual try-ons and 3D viewers, which will help the brand to increase its online presence globally.
- Customizable storefront: It provides brands with customization options and features, enabling them to create interactive and unique product layouts that offer users a personalized and consistent experience throughout the website.
- Interactive experience: It helps brands to provide their customers with an interactive and immersive experience by enabling them to walk through the virtual store, assisting the brand in generating more leads and conversions.
Case study: How is Low-cost Glasses using GlamAR’s virtual try-on and 3D viewer to improve their sales?
Low Cost Glasses is a UK-based eyewear brand that provides its users with an engaging and immersive shopping experience by using GlamAR’s SDK to integrate the virtual try-on and 3D viewer tool, so that they can try and explore different products using AR overlays and 3D models. It helps the brand boost its online sales and orders up to 35% by integrating and implementing the virtual try-on and 3D viewer tools on its e-commerce website or app.
With the help of this SDK, the brand has seen an improvement in their online sales and conversion rates because it helped them to reduce uncertainty among their customers and decrease buyer’s remorse by enabling them to explore and try different products using AR overlays and 3D models. It also helped the brand to provide its customers with high-quality visuals by replacing 2D static images with 3D models while enabling them to build stronger customer relationships.
By using GlamAR’s virtual try-on and 3D viewer for eyewear products, brands can provide their customers with rotatable and realistic 3D assets that provide them with true-to-life frame size, color, and texture. Therefore, using the virtual try-on and 3D viewer helped the brand to improve its customer relationship and experience while increasing its sales and conversions through the online platform.
Conclusion
Using a virtual try-on and 3D viewer helps eyewear brands and businesses to improve their online sales because it helps them to provide their customers with an engaging yet immersive shopping experience while enabling them to explore products using some engaging features. With the help of GlamAR’s eyewear try-on and 3D viewer SDK, brands and businesses can improve their sales and conversions while helping their customers make more informed and confident buying decisions.
Apart from that, using the combination of virtual try-on and 3D viewer will help eyewear brands to provide their customers with high-quality visuals and engaging 3D models, which will also help them to improve their engagement rate on the e-commerce platform. Therefore, using the AR try-on and 3D viewers will help the eyewear industry in various ways, such as increasing sales, improving engagement, fostering customer trust, and boosting conversions, which will help them to improve their market value and growth.
No, users do not have to install additional applications on their devices to use the virtual try-on and 3D viewer, as they are browser-based SDKs that work seamlessly within mobile or desktop browsers by using WebAR or WebGL technologies, which helps them to provide their customers with a smoother shopping experience directly on the brand’s website or app.
Yes, many virtual try-on and 3D viewer platforms allow customers to compare multiple products simultaneously by enabling them to switch between shades, styles, or models in real time or view side-by-side comparisons while offering them interactive comparisons so that their customers can make more confident purchase decisions by visually evaluating differences before buying.
Yes, most virtual try-on and 3D viewer SDKs allow brands to fully customize the tool to align it with a brand’s visual identity by allowing businesses to tailor UI elements, colors, fonts, and interaction styles to match their theme palette, which will enable them to provide their customers with a consistent brand experience across the website or app without disrupting existing design guidelines.
Yes, brands can integrate the virtual try-on and 3D viewer SDKs with their product catalog through APIs, CMS integrations, or e-commerce platforms like Shopify, which can be performed by uploading or updating SKUs, shades, and 3D assets efficiently, ensuring them with real-time accuracy across their digital storefront without manual effort.
Yes, virtual try-on and 3D viewer SDKs significantly help reduce product returns by setting accurate customer expectations, which will allow shoppers to visualize fit, appearance, or texture before purchase, which will help the brand to minimize guesswork and dissatisfaction, leading to fewer mismatched purchases and a measurable reduction in return rates.
Yes, businesses will get multiple benefits, such as increased customer engagement, confidence, and time spent on product pages by integrating and implementing virtual try-on and 3D viewer experiences on the website or app. At the same time, interactive visualization reduces hesitation and improves decision-making, leading to higher add-to-cart rates and conversions, which is reported by many brands as a noticeable uplift in conversion rates after implementing these immersive technologies.
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