Google's New AR Shopping Tool Can Help You Try Before You Buy Online

Google officially announced a new shopping feature that leverages augmented reality tech to reduce buyer's remorse.

The service lets you experiment with products via your phone and the magic of AR. Google is starting with makeup, with an emphasis on foundation products. The company teamed up with beauty brands to create a photo library with 148 models representing a "diverse spectrum of skin tones, ages, genders, face shapes, ethnicities, and skin types."

All you have to do is scroll through the models, find one that matches your skin tone, and apply various foundations and other beauty products to approximate how they would look on you. There is a "before and after" feature for making snap decisions, and you can search via brands (like Clinique) or price points. 

Google’s AR wizardry extends past makeup, as the company has leveraged the same technology used when viewing furniture in your space to allow consumers to shop for sneakers. The new AR home goods feature lets you place various pairs of sneakers in your room and spin them around, zoom in to see details, and even swap out laces and colors when possible. 

The service launches with several sneaker brands, including Saucony and VANS, with more on the way. Google also says that any retail company with 3D images of its products can participate in this platform. The company notes that shoppers engage with 3D imagery 50 percent more than static ones.