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How Optical Stores Can Use Virtual Try-On to Sell Glasses Online
Buying glasses online has become increasingly convenient, but one major challenge remains: customers cannot physically put on a pair of frames before purchasing them.
A customer may like the color, shape, and price of a frame but still wonder:
- Will these glasses suit my face?
- Are the frames too large or too small?
- How will they look from different angles?
- Will this style match my appearance?
- Which frame shape is best for me?
Virtual Try-On (VTO) helps optical stores answer these questions by allowing shoppers to use their smartphone or computer camera to see how glasses look on their own face.
For optical stores and eyewear brands, virtual try-on is more than an interactive feature. It can become an important part of the online sales journey, helping customers explore products, compare frames, build confidence, and move toward checkout.
What Is Virtual Try-On for Glasses?
Virtual Try-On uses augmented reality and computer vision to digitally place a pair of glasses over a customer’s face using a camera.
The system detects important facial characteristics such as the eyes, nose, face position, and head movement. It then positions and scales the virtual glasses so that they follow the customer’s movements.
A typical glasses virtual try-on experience involves three major components:
- Face detection and tracking
- Frame positioning and scaling
- Real-time rendering of the glasses
More advanced systems can also account for things such as depth, lighting, frame shape, and occlusion.
For example, when a shopper turns their head, the virtual glasses should remain attached to the correct position on their face instead of appearing to float or slide.
Technologies such as Banuba specifically support glasses virtual try-on, while DeepAR provides AR capabilities optimized for glasses and other e-commerce try-on experiences.
Why Optical Stores Should Consider Virtual Try-On
Traditional ecommerce product photography shows customers what glasses look like on a model or against a plain background.
The problem is that customers have different:
- Face shapes
- Facial proportions
- Skin tones
- Eye positions
- Head sizes
- Personal styles
A frame that looks excellent on a professional model may look completely different on another person.
Virtual Try-On changes the experience from:
“What does this frame look like?”
to:
“What does this frame look like on me?”
That difference can make online shopping considerably more interactive.
Key benefits include:
- Increased product engagement
- Greater customer confidence
- Easier frame comparison
- Longer time spent exploring products
- More personalized shopping
- Potentially fewer unsuitable purchases
- A more modern ecommerce experience
- Better differentiation from competitors
Virtual try-on can therefore become part of an optical store’s overall conversion strategy rather than simply functioning as a novelty feature.
How Optical Stores Can Use Virtual Try-On
There are several ways an optical store can incorporate virtual try-on into its ecommerce strategy.
1. Add Try-On Directly to Product Pages
One of the most effective approaches is placing a “Try It On” button directly next to the product images.
For example:
Ray-Ban Style Black Frame
$149
[ Try It On ]
[ Add to Cart ]
When customers click “Try It On,” the website can request camera access and launch the AR experience.
This eliminates unnecessary navigation and keeps the customer connected to the product they are considering.
Browser-based AR can be particularly useful because customers do not necessarily need to install a separate application. Banuba’s WebAR solution, for example, supports browser-based face tracking and virtual try-on experiences across modern devices.
2. Let Customers Try Multiple Frames
One of the biggest advantages of virtual try-on is making product discovery easier.
Instead of selecting one frame, looking at static images, and navigating back to the catalog, customers can quickly experiment with different styles.
For example, a shopper could compare:
- Round frames
- Square frames
- Cat-eye glasses
- Aviator frames
- Rimless glasses
- Metal frames
- Oversized frames
- Sunglasses
This encourages shoppers to explore more products.
A customer who originally intended to purchase one pair may discover several alternatives through the try-on experience.
3. Use Virtual Try-On for Sunglasses
Virtual Try-On is particularly useful for sunglasses.
Customers can experiment with:
- Frame shapes
- Lens colors
- Frame colors
- Oversized styles
- Sports sunglasses
- Designer sunglasses
- Polarized styles
Instead of simply looking at a product photograph, shoppers can see how the sunglasses appear on their own face.
This makes the experience more personal and interactive.
4. Help Customers Compare Different Frame Styles
Optical stores often carry hundreds or thousands of frames.
This can create choice overload.
Virtual Try-On can simplify the selection process.
For example, a shopper might try:
Frame A → Frame B → Frame C → Frame D
and quickly determine which one looks best.
Stores can make this even more useful by allowing shoppers to save or favorite frames they have tried.
A customer could then create a shortlist such as:
My Favorites
- Black rectangular
- Gold round
- Transparent square
- Brown tortoiseshell
This creates a more structured buying journey.
5. Combine Virtual Try-On With Product Recommendations
Virtual Try-On can also work alongside recommendation systems.
For example:
You tried a rectangular frame. You may also like these three similar styles.
An optical store could recommend products based on:
- Frame shape
- Color
- Brand
- Price
- Collection
- Previous interactions
- Customer preferences
This can help turn virtual try-on from an isolated feature into part of a broader personalized shopping experience.
6. Integrate Virtual Try-On With Shopify
Many optical stores operate on ecommerce platforms such as Shopify.
A virtual try-on system can be integrated into the product page so that customers can launch the experience without leaving the store.
A typical workflow might look like this:
Product Page → Try It On → Camera → Virtual Glasses → Select Frame → Add to Cart → Checkout
This is important because the try-on experience should support the purchasing process rather than interrupt it.
For stores using Shopify, implementation can involve a dedicated app, WebAR SDK, or custom integration depending on the required level of functionality.
Build a Better Online Glasses Shopping Experience
Optical stores interested in implementing virtual try-on can explore Zeanex Studio’s Virtual Try-On for Glasses solution to understand how AR can be incorporated into eyewear shopping experiences.
The goal should not simply be to add an AR camera to a website.
The goal is to create a shopping experience where customers can:
Discover → Try → Compare → Decide → Purchase
Technologies Behind Virtual Glasses Try-On
Several technologies can be used to build virtual glasses try-on systems.
The right technology depends on whether a business needs a ready-made SDK, browser-based experience, native mobile application, or a completely customized solution.
1. Banuba
Banuba is a commercial AR technology provider offering face-tracking and virtual try-on capabilities.
Its glasses virtual try-on technology can be deployed in browser-based experiences and applications. Banuba also provides eyewear-specific functionality such as pupillary-distance measurement and face tracking.
For optical stores, Banuba can be useful when the goal is to launch a polished commercial virtual try-on experience without building the entire computer-vision pipeline from scratch.
Suitable for:
- Eyewear ecommerce
- Online optical stores
- Shopify stores
- Mobile applications
- Web-based try-on
- Large product catalogs
2. DeepAR
DeepAR provides AR technology for websites and applications, including virtual try-on for glasses.
Its platform specifically lists eyeglasses try-on and supports face tracking optimized for glasses virtual try-on.
DeepAR can be useful for businesses that want to create interactive AR shopping experiences across web and mobile platforms.
Suitable for:
- Glasses try-on
- Beauty AR
- Accessories
- Interactive ecommerce
- Web AR
- Mobile applications
3. MediaPipe
MediaPipe provides computer-vision and machine-learning tools that developers can use to detect and track facial features.
Its Face Landmarker functionality can detect facial landmarks, which can then be used as part of a custom AR glasses system.
For example, a development team could use facial landmark information to determine:
- Eye positions
- Nose position
- Face orientation
- Facial geometry
- Relative frame placement
MediaPipe can therefore serve as a building block for custom virtual try-on solutions.
Suitable for:
- Custom AR development
- Computer vision
- Face landmark detection
- Prototyping
- Research
- Custom web or mobile solutions
However, developers generally need to build additional rendering, asset management, product logic, and ecommerce functionality around the tracking technology.
4. ARKit
ARKit is Apple’s augmented reality framework for iOS and iPadOS.
Its ARFaceTrackingConfiguration can track facial movement and expressions using the device’s front camera and provides information about facial position, orientation, topology, and expressions.
This makes ARKit useful for developers building native iPhone and iPad experiences.
An optical store with a dedicated iOS application could potentially use ARKit as part of a custom glasses try-on system.
Suitable for:
- iOS applications
- iPad applications
- Native AR experiences
- Face tracking
- Custom eyewear applications
One important consideration is device compatibility. Face tracking capabilities depend on supported Apple hardware.
5. ARCore
ARCore is Google’s platform for building augmented reality experiences on Android and other supported environments.
Its Augmented Faces API provides facial regions and a 468-point 3D face mesh that developers can use to position virtual content on a user’s face. Google specifically identifies try-ons as one of the use cases for Augmented Faces.
For an optical store building a native Android application, ARCore can provide important face-tracking capabilities.
Suitable for:
- Android applications
- Face-based AR
- Custom glasses try-on
- 3D face tracking
- AR product experiences
As with ARKit, ARCore provides important AR infrastructure, but a complete ecommerce virtual try-on solution still requires product assets, rendering, UI, catalog management, and shopping-cart integration.
Virtual Try-On Technology Comparison
| Technology | Best For | Glasses Try-On | Face Tracking | Web Support | Customization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banuba | Commercial VTO | Excellent | Advanced | Yes | High |
| DeepAR | AR commerce & interactive experiences | Yes | Advanced | Yes | High |
| MediaPipe | Custom computer vision | With development | Yes | Yes | Very High |
| ARKit | Native Apple AR apps | With development | Yes | No native WebAR | Very High |
| ARCore | Native Android AR apps | With development | Yes | No native WebAR | Very High |
The key distinction is that Banuba and DeepAR are closer to ready-to-integrate commercial AR solutions, while MediaPipe, ARKit, and ARCore can provide underlying capabilities for teams building their own customized experiences.
What Optical Stores Need Before Implementing Virtual Try-On
Virtual Try-On isn’t just about selecting an SDK.
Optical stores should also prepare their product catalog.
1. High-Quality Product Images
Frames need accurate visual assets.
Poor-quality images can make virtual glasses look unrealistic even when the tracking technology is excellent.
2. Accurate Frame Dimensions
Frame measurements can help create more believable sizing.
Important measurements may include:
- Lens width
- Bridge width
- Temple length
- Overall frame width
- Frame height
Accurate product data can contribute to better customer expectations.
3. High-Quality 3D Assets
Some implementations require 3D models of glasses.
These models need to represent:
- Frame geometry
- Lens shape
- Frame color
- Material
- Thickness
- Temple structure
Poorly created 3D assets can negatively affect the virtual experience.
4. Mobile Optimization
A large percentage of online shoppers use smartphones.
Therefore, optical stores should ensure that virtual try-on works smoothly on mobile devices.
The experience should:
- Load quickly
- Request camera permission clearly
- Work across supported browsers
- Maintain smooth tracking
- Avoid unnecessary steps
- Provide an alternative if camera access is unavailable
How Virtual Try-On Can Increase Customer Confidence
One of the biggest barriers to purchasing glasses online is uncertainty.
A customer may think:
“I like these glasses, but I don’t know whether they will look good on me.”
Virtual Try-On directly addresses that concern.
Instead of imagining how the glasses might look, the customer can see a representation of the frame on their own face.
This does not replace professional optical advice or guarantee physical fit, but it can make the style-selection process more informative.
This distinction is important.
Virtual Try-On should be positioned as a tool for visualizing appearance, not as a substitute for professional measurements, prescription verification, or an optician’s fitting assessment.
Use Virtual Try-On as Part of Your Sales Funnel
Optical stores should think beyond simply adding a “Try It On” button.
A stronger funnel might look like this:
Step 1: Discover
Customer sees a frame through search, social media, advertising, or the store catalog.
Step 2: Explore
Customer opens the product page.
Step 3: Try
Customer activates virtual try-on.
Step 4: Compare
Customer tries multiple colors and frame styles.
Step 5: Build Confidence
Customer sees how different frames appear on their face.
Step 6: Purchase
Customer adds the selected frame to their cart.
Step 7: Complete Their Order
The customer proceeds through checkout and provides prescription or lens information where applicable.
This makes AR part of the actual ecommerce journey rather than a standalone technology demonstration.
Best Practices for Optical Stores
To get the most value from virtual try-on, consider these practices:
Make the Try-On Button Visible
Don’t hide virtual try-on somewhere deep inside the product page.
Use a clear CTA such as:
Try These Glasses On
Make It Easy to Start
Avoid requiring customers to create an account before trying a frame.
Offer Multiple Frames
The more products customers can easily compare, the more useful the feature becomes.
Use Accurate Product Assets
Poor 3D models or inaccurate frame proportions can reduce trust.
Optimize for Mobile
Test the experience on different smartphones and browsers.
Provide Camera Alternatives
If a shopper doesn’t want to use their camera, consider offering a photo-upload option where supported.
Track Performance
Measure metrics such as:
- Try-on launches
- Frames tried per session
- Add-to-cart rate
- Conversion rate
- Product-page engagement
- Checkout completion
- Return rate
These metrics can help determine whether virtual try-on is generating measurable business value.
The Future of Online Optical Shopping
Virtual Try-On is likely to become increasingly integrated into digital eyewear shopping.
Instead of treating AR as a separate feature, optical stores can combine it with:
- AI recommendations
- Face-shape analysis
- Personalized frame suggestions
- Virtual consultations
- Prescription workflows
- Product comparison
- 3D product visualization
- Customer profiles
- Personalized marketing
Imagine a customer visiting an optical store online and receiving a personalized experience:
Based on your face shape and the frames you’ve tried, here are five styles you may like.
The customer can then try each recommendation virtually and immediately add the preferred frame to their cart.
This combination of AR + AI + ecommerce can make online eyewear shopping significantly more personalized.
Conclusion
For optical stores, selling glasses online involves overcoming one fundamental challenge: customers cannot physically try the frames before purchasing.
Virtual Try-On helps close that gap.
By allowing customers to see glasses on their own faces, optical stores can create a more interactive and personalized shopping experience.
Technologies such as Banuba, DeepAR, MediaPipe, ARKit, and ARCore provide different approaches to building these experiences. Commercial SDKs can accelerate implementation, while lower-level computer-vision and AR frameworks provide developers with greater control for custom solutions.
For optical businesses, the most important question isn’t simply “Should we use AR?”
It’s:
“How can we use virtual try-on to make it easier for customers to discover, compare, trust, and purchase the right glasses online?”
When implemented properly, virtual try-on can become an important component of a modern digital eyewear strategy.
10 FAQs About Virtual Try-On for Optical Stores
1. What is virtual try-on for glasses?
Virtual try-on is an augmented reality technology that allows customers to see how glasses look on their own face using a smartphone, tablet, or computer camera.
2. Can optical stores add virtual try-on to their website?
Yes. Optical stores can integrate virtual try-on into ecommerce websites using commercial AR SDKs, WebAR technologies, or custom development.
3. Does virtual try-on work on mobile phones?
Yes. Many virtual try-on solutions are designed specifically for smartphones. Browser-based solutions can allow customers to access try-on directly from a mobile website without installing a dedicated app.
4. Which technologies can be used to build virtual glasses try-on?
Popular technologies include Banuba, DeepAR, MediaPipe, ARKit, and ARCore. Banuba and DeepAR provide commercial AR capabilities specifically applicable to glasses try-on, while MediaPipe, ARKit, and ARCore can provide computer-vision and AR building blocks for custom solutions.
5. Can virtual try-on be integrated with Shopify?
Yes. Optical stores using Shopify can integrate virtual try-on through compatible apps, SDKs, widgets, or custom Shopify development.
6. Does virtual try-on accurately show how glasses will fit?
Virtual try-on can provide a useful visual representation of how a frame looks, but it should not be treated as a guarantee of physical fit. Actual fit depends on measurements, frame dimensions, prescription requirements, and professional fitting.
7. Do customers need to download an app?
Not necessarily. Web-based virtual try-on can run directly in a supported browser. For example, Banuba offers browser-based WebAR functionality for virtual try-on.
8. Can customers try different glasses virtually?
Yes. An ecommerce store can allow shoppers to switch between different frame models, colors, and styles so they can compare products before purchasing.
9. Can virtual try-on increase online glasses sales?
Virtual try-on can potentially improve engagement and purchase confidence by allowing customers to visualize products on themselves. However, the actual impact depends on factors such as implementation quality, product catalog, user experience, traffic, pricing, and overall ecommerce strategy.
10. How can Zeanex help optical stores implement virtual try-on?
Zeanex Technologies can help businesses explore AR and AI-based product experiences, including virtual try-on solutions for eyewear. Optical stores can also explore the Zeanex Studio Virtual Try-On for Glasses experience as a starting point for understanding how AR can be incorporated into an online eyewear shopping journey.
Zeanex Technologies can help businesses develop and deploy customized AR and virtual try-on experiences for eyewear and other product categories.
Zeanex Studio’s virtual glasses try-on solution is built using the ImagineAR SDK, which provides the AR technology used to create the real-time try-on experience. Zeanex Studio adds the business layer around it, including the admin panel, product management, analytics, QR code sharing, and website integration.
Learn more about our Virtual Try-On for Glasses solution: