Warby Parker, the online retailer of prescription glasses, is changing the way people shop for spectacles online.
Starting Monday, the company announced its iPhone app will allow customers to use Apple’s Face ID and augmented reality technology to try on glasses before buying them. The live 3D preview projects a pair of glasses on their face.
“Virtual Try-On really changes the way you can shop for glasses—especially for customers who don’t live close to a store—and it’s inherently enjoyable to use,” said Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Dave Gilboa, in a news release. Founded in 2010, the company is known for allowing customers to choose from five different glasses they can try on from home.
More companies are dabbling in AR technology. Ikea has used the technology to give shoppers an idea of what certain furniture would look like in their homes. Smart-fitting rooms are using the technology to change the way people shop for clothes.
Warby Parker’s virtual Try-On tool will use the Apple ARKit and TrueDepth technology to “project frames onto the user’s face,” the company said in a statement. The feature uses an in-house algorithm to recreate a person’s facial features in 3D to provide a “lifelike fitting room experience.”