Augmented reality (AR) mirrors and other smart mirror technology use digital tools to alter or enhance the user’s reflection. By layering virtual elements over the user’s image, an AR mirror merges the real world with the virtual one.
AR mirrors offer a potential solution to one of the more vexing issues for ecommerce retailers: Shoppers can’t try on items before buying, leading to return rates of nearly 20% in 2025. AR mirrors offer a simple, immersive way for customers to virtually try on makeup, clothes, or eyewear, potentially reducing returns.
Use this guide to learn what AR mirror technology is, how it works, and how retailers can use it online and in-store to create a more productive and fulfilling shopping experience for customers.
What is an AR mirror?
An AR mirror, or augmented reality mirror, is an interactive display that uses cameras, digital sensors, and high-resolution imagery to overlay virtual items on the real-time projection or mirrored reflection of a user.
AR mirrors can make in-store shopping more convenient for consumers. Instead of the hassle of locked fitting rooms or waiting for staff at a makeup counter, a customer can simply stand before a screen and select apparel for a virtual try-on experience without the need to change clothes. Related technology can do something similar for home goods shoppers by letting them try out furniture in their own living space.
For ecommerce stores, the same underlying technology can work through a shopper’s mobile or web camera, enabling virtual product try-ons. By giving online customers a better sense of how a product looks before checkout, AR mirrors can help reduce returns.
How does an AR mirror work?
An AR mirror uses a combination of augmented reality software and hardware, such as motion and depth sensors, combined with high-resolution displays like LCD or OLED screens, to add virtual product images to a real-life image or reflection. AR mirror software uses technology to recognize facial features, mobile or web cameras, and sometimes artificial intelligence to map virtual products onto a live image of the user. For a physical AR mirror, RFID tags can be used to call up virtual images of merchandise.
Which is better: AR or VR?
Both AR and virtual reality (VR) are immersive tech, offering digitally enhanced experiences, but there are some important differences.
VR transports a user into a completely virtual environment via a headset, typically to play games. AR aims to seamlessly blend the physical and digital elements in the user’s own environment through external screens, sensors, and software.
Although both offer immersive experiences, AR technology has more applications in ecommerce and retail stores, and it requires less dedicated equipment for a user than VR, making smart mirrors a more practical choice for online retailers.
Real-world AR mirror use cases
Explore some real-world examples of how AR mirrors can enhance product pages and shopping experiences:
Moscot eyewear
Moscot, a New York–based eyewear company that’s outfitted celebrities and fashion industry icons, offers virtual try-on through mobile devices. This option, accessed directly from a small camera icon on select product pages, uses a device’s camera and AR filters to let users try on different combinations of style, fit, and color frames.
This lets a shopper test out a wide range of eyewear before buying, reducing the cost and hassle associated with ordering multiple items with the intent to return those that aren’t a good fit.
Arhaus furniture
For major furniture purchases, AR technology can help customers gain confidence by viewing an item in their home without any dinged door frames or expensive delivery fees. As Steve Bauer, vice president of ecommerce at furniture brand Arhaus, says to Shopify, AR helps his company make customers more comfortable with products they encounter on the Arhaus website.
“You couldn’t place a chair in a room without literally placing the chair in the room. So having that technology is a huge gain for us,” he says. “Taking that now to the next level is being able to hold your phone up to that corner of the room where you really want to put that chair and making sure that it matches the wall color, the flooring, and looking at all the various options for it.”
Tips for implementing an AR mirror
- Build a select catalog of high-quality photos and 3D models
- Scope out competitors to refine use cases
- Promote your work
- Gather customer feedback
If you’re considering adding an AR mirror to your store or ecommerce shop, consider these tips:
Build a select catalog of high-quality photos and 3D models
Even when shopping was only in-store, not every product on the sales floor was worthy of a trip to the fitting room. So, too, with AR mirrors and virtual try-on. Choosing which products to make AR compatible will vary from company to company, but the aim is to build a selection of visually appealing and popular products with high-profit margins that customers want to try on.
The value that an AR mirror experience offers customers relies heavily on the quality of the images and 3D models of your products. To draw an analogy, having good 3D product models is like the difference between holding a garment on a hanger against your body and trying on the item in front of a mirror.
A good AR mirror melds 3D models and virtual product images with real images or reflections of the customer. Businesses also build 3D models of their products so that customers can view them in their space using their mobile device. On Shopify, sellers can develop models using a 3D scanner tool (for both Android and iOS). Or businesses can work with a Shopify partner to develop professional-grade 3D models. Retail applications for AR are more common on mobile devices, so desktop applications may push a shopper to view 3D images on mobile via a QR code.
Scope out competitors to refine use cases
Understanding how competitor brands use the technology can help you sharpen your own use cases and offerings.
For instance, if you run a cosmetics brand, explore how peer competitors as well as major beauty brands like Sephora, L’Oréal, and MAC have integrated AR mirror technology. How many shades can you try at once? How does the mirror offer makeup recommendations or add-to-cart functionality? Is there a feature that encourages social sharing and user-generated content? What kind of hardware or software functionality is at work?
You may not be able to offer the same range of options as major retailers. But by identifying the aspects of competitor AR experiences that are most appealing and useful, you can tailor your brand’s experience for customers and select hardware and software that meet your company’s needs.
Promote your work
Whether you have a small ecommerce brand or a large company, installing an AR mirror or AR mirror technology takes considerable work. Once that work is done, your customers should know where to find the tool, how to use it, and how it can help them. Here’s how to get started:
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Start with a soft launch. Whether in-store or online, make an event out of your soft launch and invite your customers to give the AR mirror a test run and offer feedback. Consider offering special promo codes, a contest for best user-generated content, or other perks to draw people in and make it a social occasion.
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Share the news across your digital channels. In addition to making sure the AR mirror is prominently placed on your site or in-store, make sure relevant product and FAQ pages tell customers about the tool. And once you’ve tested it and everything is working smoothly, invite followers and fans on social channels to give the mirror tech a try.
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Go live. If your brand has an established social media presence, consider making a short video or hosting a livestream event to demonstrate the AR mirror, answer customer questions, and show off your brand’s virtual fitting rooms.
Gather customer feedback and data
AR mirror software collects digital information when a customer tries on an item, potentially yielding valuable insights for your brand.
For instance, AR mirror data can show what products and styles people are most interested in, what customers tried in sequence, and how the AR mirror experience led to what they ultimately purchased. Work with your developer team at the outset to understand what types of data your AR-enabled software can glean.
AR mirror FAQ
What is an AR mirror?
An AR mirror is a digital display or software tool that lets a customer virtually try on clothes, makeup, and accessories. It uses cameras, sensors, and software to layer virtual images onto the reflection or photo of a viewer.
What is AR used for?
Augmented reality technology merges physical and digital objects with applications in retail, navigation, games, and health care.
What devices can use augmented reality?
Augmented reality is an increasingly accessible feature for ecommerce brands thanks to open-source software and a range of AR software development kits (SDKs) geared for Android, iOS, browsers, headsets, and AR glasses. Physical AR mirrors rely on software tools similar to those used to provide immersive AR experiences on web browsers and mobile devices.
