Augmented reality(AR)

Website and technology

Augmented reality (AR) adds digital images or information to your view of the real world. For example, you can view a piece of furniture in your own room through your phone camera.

With AR, your surroundings remain visible with a digital layer added. This can work through a smartphone, tablet or suitable glasses. An application might recognise surfaces and keep a digital object positioned in the room.

In marketing and e-commerce, AR shows products in context: a sofa in your living room, glasses on your face or an information layer attached to a product. Certain social media camera filters also use AR. A standalone 3D product viewer is not automatically AR because it need not include your real surroundings.

Virtual reality (VR) places you in a largely digital environment. AR instead adds to your real surroundings. AR is also not the same as AI: an application may use AI for recognition, but adding a digital layer is the defining feature of AR.

Whether AR helps a purchase depends on the application. Scale, colour, lighting, supported devices and the quality of the digital model determine what you can assess. A digital try-on does not automatically predict the exact size or fit of the physical product.

Tip

Use AR to answer a specific product question and provide photos and product information too. Check that the experience works on your visitors' devices before directing a campaign to it.

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