AR allows customers to get a better sense of size and detail in products, interact with products by seeing all angles, and view items them in their own home to check that they fit and complement their existing space.

For customers who would rather not read through a long list of item specifications, AR helps them examine the product in more depth and with better perspective, which is often lacking through photos alone. While viewing and interacting with an item in store is the ideal experience, Shopify’s AR is the next best thing – particularly during this time of COVID-19.

COVID-19 has hit small businesses hard and completely shut down brick-and-mortar stores for much of the last year, but features like AR give online consumers more confidence that the product they see on the website is the one they are getting, with no surprises when it arrives. This helps to not only increase sales but reduce returns as well.

Shopify AR provides an accessible toolkit for businesses to create their own AR experiences, including a services marketplace of 3D modelling partners, a 3D Warehouse App to store models, and an easy way to add AR Quick Look support to businesses.

Shopify has recently acquired AR app, Primer, which allows users to see how tiles, wallpaper and textiles would look in their own home. Primer said it was "excited to have the opportunity to realize" its "founding conviction of building immersive shopping experiences on a massive scale at Shopify," and will remove its app on 10 July.

Adding to its existing AR features, Shopify is looking to grow its AR offerings for clients and their consumers, highlighting the increasing importance of augmented reality and its use by consumers.

A Nielsen survey in 2019 found that 51% of shoppers were interested in using AR tools to assess products they are considering purchasing, and because of COVID-19 and the increase of online shopping, that number will be much higher today.

For more information about Shopify’s AR features, head to: https://www.shopify.co.nz/ar