Augmented reality creates engaging experiences that seamlessly blend virtual objects with the real world. For the fashion retail industry, it’s a game-changer: with AR, fashion retailers can easily help consumers pick the right color and fit, and can provide a realistic, interactive experience on a par with in-store shopping.
Now jewelry retailers have entered the game. Considering high prices for jewelry, people tend to think twice before making a purchase. At this point, seeing is believing, and there’s nothing better in sealing the deal than a virtual jewelry try-on. Using AR-powered applications, shoppers can try on jewelry products based on their size and how they look in different lighting.
However, implementing AR in the jewelry niche presents some tough challenges, including system requirements and the need for highly detailed 3D models. Although some jewelry retailers have added a try-on feature to their online stores, many of them failed to do it right. Customers either need to fit the ring model manually on a photo or get a 2D ring model instead of a 3D.
Here at Postindustria, we wanted to give you a sneak peek at one of our hottest projects: a cutting-edge mobile application with a jewelry try-on feature. This article answers some questions about our app and the specifics of AR-based technology for jewelry shopping in general.
You can download the virtual jewelry try-on app from AppStore or Google Play.
Just to make things clear, our app is not intended for commercial use yet. It’s a safe space for developers to try out ideas and a testing playground for engineers. Of course, it’s completely free, and we don’t collect any data – so why don’t you pour yourself a cup of joe and give it a try!
It uses your mobile device’s camera to overlay 3D virtual objects on the real-time physical world, so you see a realistic ring on your finger on-screen. You can view the item from different angles or even move your hand: AR will dynamically adapt to changes in position and lighting so you can easily try on jewelry.
Absolutely! All development components are portable, so the app works on both Android and iOS platforms.
The app’s size scales together with the number of showcased models. An app with 12 rings will come in at about 100-120 MB. There’s obviously the potential for streamlining and caching: we can reduce the app’s size by uploading 3D ring models from a server.
We plan to extend the app’s capabilities in the near future. For now, we’re focusing on rings, including improving 3D model quality and light rendering, and adding different ring sizes. After that, we’re looking to move on to showcasing bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.
Not yet. When it comes to hand recognition, AR technology can be tricky to implement as it uses built-in device capabilities. Most devices can use computer vision to recognize faces, but they aren’t good for recognizing other parts of the body. As a result, we had to build a completely new machine model for hand recognition and virtual jewelry try-on. Unfortunately, mobile browsers don’t currently have enough processing power for custom machine models, so a browser-based showroom-like experience is simply not yet possible.
Similar to web browsers, Instagram’s capabilities are mainly focused on facial recognition. Its computer vision algorithms lack accurate hand and finger tracking, and don’t support high-poly models. These models are essential for generating high-quality details, which is why Instagram is currently not a good option for a realistic virtual jewelry try-on experience.
Building a truly immersive virtual shopping experience requires a software development team with solid technical understanding and attention to artistic detail. Engineers at Postindustria have already mastered the technology for recreating a true-to-life showroom experience on any mobile device. From extremely detailed 3D CAD models to end-to-end online shopping platforms, we craft products that get you ahead of the game.
Think about empowering your jewelry brand with innovations? Don’t hesitate to get in touch – we have some insights to share!
