Five years ago, AR try-on was a big-brand novelty. Today face-mesh and hand-tracking run in a mobile browser with no app download, and a mid-size D2C brand can put try-on on a product page for a fraction of what a TV spot costs. The question has moved from "can we?" to "will it sell more?" — and the answer depends on how it's built.

What the numbers say

Studies of 3D and AR product visualisation consistently report higher conversion (Shopify has cited up to 94% for products with 3D/AR views), lower return rates and longer time on page. The mechanism is simple: try-on removes the biggest uncertainty in buying something you'd normally hold or wear — will it suit me?

What separates try-ons that convert

Zero friction to start. WebAR from the product page — tap, allow camera, see it on your face. Every extra step (download an app, create an account) halves the audience.
Accuracy over spectacle. Glasses that sit at the right position and scale; lipstick that follows lips through a smile; a watch that stays on the wrist as it turns. MediaPipe-class face and hand tracking gets this right; older marker-based approaches don't, and users notice instantly.
Real product fidelity. Colour-accurate materials, correct frame thickness, believable reflections. A try-on that flatters the product but lies about it drives returns, not sales.
Straight into the cart. The try-on view should have the price, size options and Add-to-Cart button in it. Making the shopper leave AR to buy loses the moment.
Measure it. Try-on start rate, time in AR, add-to-cart from AR versus without. If you can't see the lift, you can't tune it.

Which categories benefit most

Eyewear, cosmetics, watches and jewellery lead — anything worn on the face or hands. Furniture and appliances benefit from place-in-room AR rather than try-on. Apparel try-on is improving but still the hardest to make convincing; a 3D configurator is often the better investment there.

Where we come in

We've built try-on for makeup, glasses and watches with MediaPipe face and hand tracking rendered in WebGL across web and mobile — and place-in-room AR for furniture and real estate. See our AR development page, or send us a product and we'll tell you honestly whether try-on will move its numbers.