Virtual try-on for e-commerce: what it solves and what it requires

Three different things under one name

The first is face try-on: the phone camera recognizes the face and overlays glasses, makeup or earrings on the live image. The second is body try-on, which tries to dress the person in a garment, working from a photo of them or from measurements they enter. The third is product augmented reality: the object appears at real size in the shopper’s surroundings, where they can hold it close to their body, set it beside the mirror or on the table, and walk around it.

Each one answers a different question. Face try-on answers “does this suit me?”. Body try-on tries to answer “will this fit me?”. Product augmented reality answers “how big is this really, and how does it look in my space?”.

Which products each one works for

• Glasses, makeup and face accessories: face try-on is the right tool, because the question is about the shopper’s own skin.
• Clothing: body try-on still depends heavily on lighting, pose and accurate measurements. It is worth testing, with realistic expectations.
• Handbags, shoes, jewelry, watches, fragrances, decor objects and furniture: product augmented reality settles the usual doubt, which is size. A bag looks huge in a photo and small in the hand.

What every try-on needs before it works

All three start from the same place: a faithful 3D model of the product, with the right shape, scale and finish. Without it, there is nothing to place on the face, the body or the room. That is why the practical question is rarely “which try-on should we buy” and much more often “how do we get our products into 3D, with good quality and in volume”.

The second requirement is that it works in the browser. Asking shoppers to download an app to try on a product loses most of them along the way. Today, the phones most people carry open augmented reality straight from the web page, with nothing to install.

What Complete offers today

Complete Dashboard turns a product photo into a 3D model and publishes that model in a viewer the brand embeds in its own store. Shoppers rotate the piece through 360 degrees, zoom in to see the texture and, on a phone, tap a button to see the object at real size in their own space. For handbags, shoes, jewelry and objects, this is the try-on that answers the size question.

For face or body try-on, the 3D model created in the Dashboard is the raw material, but the experience itself depends on the product and the project. In those cases the conversation is with Complete Studio, which assesses, piece by piece, what can be delivered with the fidelity the brand needs.

How to start without commitment

The fairest way to judge is to see your own product. In the Dashboard the first piece is free: upload a photo on a clean background, wait a few minutes and open the result on your phone. If the piece works in augmented reality, you already have your size try-on. If it does not, you find that out before spending anything.