For some, Augmented Reality (AR) has been tossed into the same basket as Virtual Reality (VR): intriguing, expensive, ahead-of-its-time, but not quite ready for prime time. Remember Google Glass? Or Meta's $50 billion VR escapade that still hasn't hit the jackpot? These tech misadventures have led many retailers to mistakenly label AR as just another pricey party trick. But that notion is rapidly becoming as outdated as dial-up internet.
The truth is, while VR has struggled due to its hardware costs and limited practical applications, AR has quietly matured into a powerful retail tool, especially in sectors like furniture and bathroom where product visualization is crucial.
The Rise and Stumble of VR & Early AR
Let’s start with the ghost of Google Glass. Launched in 2013 with plenty of fanfare and a $1,500 price tag, it fizzled out within two years due to privacy concerns, user discomfort, and a lack of clear use cases.
Meanwhile, Meta (formerly Facebook) invested billions into its metaverse vision, including expensive headsets like the Oculus range. The result? According to Futurism and Business Insider, Reality Labs has lost over $50 billion to date, and even former Meta execs admitted the products failed to retain users.
These high-profile failures tarnished AR’s reputation and potential by association. AR became shorthand for flashy tech demos that didn’t solve real-world problems.
But here’s the twist: AR didn’t disappear. It evolved quietly, efficiently, and accessibly, and is prevalent more than you might realise in everyday life.
Why AR Is Different Now
Unlike VR, AR doesn't require a headset or a hefty investment. You don’t need goggles or gloves - just a smartphone and maybe a QR code if on a desktop or viewing products in an offline brochure. And that’s exactly what’s making it so compelling in retail environments.
AR in furniture and bathroom retail has crossed the novelty threshold. It’s not just a cool way to show off a lamp on your dining table. It’s now an essential part of how people are making confident, high-consideration purchases.
Imagine trying to see how a freestanding bath would look in your real bathroom. Or how a new velvet sofa would sit next to your existing rug and curtains. Renting samples to test in your space isn’t realistic, and showrooms can’t recreate your home’s lighting, wall color, or vibe. But AR? One scan of a QR code and you're viewing a true-to-scale, photorealistic model to spin, re-size and place in your own space.
That’s not a gimmick. That’s solving a genuine consumer consideration issue.
Consumer Expectations Are Changing Fast
According to eMarketer, by 2023, AR had 21.1 million more users than VR in the US, and the gap is expected to widen further.
And it's not just usage - it’s how people are using AR:
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A Technocrats Horizons report found that AR boosts customer engagement by 19% and conversion rates by up to 90%.
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An Oracle study revealed that 84% of companies believe AR/VR will surpass physical experiences in customer engagement within five years.
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A 2024 eMarketer survey* showed that nearly 1 in 5 consumers say AR makes them more likely to complete a purchase.
This is especially important in homeware categories. AR is driving down one of the most expensive and frustrating problems in furniture retail: returns.
eMarketer notes that ecommerce return rates in the US jumped 21.2% YoY in 2024 - far outpacing sales growth. When customers can see scale, materials, and placement before purchasing, they’re less likely to change their minds later.
* eMarketer may require a subscription to view the survey results and insights from its 2024 report
How It Works Across Devices
The beauty of modern AR is its accessibility. Retailers can integrate AR visualizations into their product pages or print marketing. Customers scan a QR code with their phone, and boom - their living room becomes a showroom.
Advanced 3D models render in real-time, allowing shoppers to rotate, resize, and even walk around a product. And because this works on everyday smartphones, the barrier to adoption is virtually non-existent.
Retailers Already Seeing Results
Pioneers like IKEA and Heal's have built AR into their shopping journeys. IKEA’s "Place" app lets customers drop virtual furniture into their homes, and Heal's provide 3D modular furniture configurators and AR as one seamless process. Smaller retailers are also getting in on the act too, as seen in a recent study from London Research and Fixtuur, which showed that 45% of all 100 respondents are offering fully integrated AR experiences regardless of business size.
And the results speak for themselves:
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47% of shoppers who’ve used AR say it helped them make buying decisions (eMarketer)
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61% of businesses using AR have reported higher customer satisfaction (Oracle)
From Showroom to Living Room
The retail customer journey used to end when the buyer left the store. With AR, it extends into the customer’s home. This bridges a crucial gap - especially for furniture and bathroom products, which are big-ticket, high-emotion purchases.
Picture this: a customer is debating between a chrome and a brushed brass faucet. They can view both, life-size, installed in their real bathroom via AR. They can screenshot it and ask their partner, or share the link or QR code to load it themselves. This isn't gimmicky - it’s powering decisions.
AR: A Practical, Profitable Future
Ignoring augmented reality experiences as a gimmick today is like ignoring e-Commerce in 2005 as if it were a fad.
Let's not forget how absurd some historical predictions about e-Commerce look like in today's online world:
“We’re promised instant catalog shopping - just point and click for great deals. We’ll order airline tickets over the network, make restaurant reservations and negotiate sales contracts. Stores will become obsolete. So how come my local mall does more business in an afternoon than the entire Internet handles in a month?”
Clifford Stoll, Astronomer and Author (1995)
"By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s."
Paul Krugman, Economist (1998)
So, while AR may not have gone fully mainstream yet, the tide is turning - fast, and just like e-Commerce was considered by some as a fad that wouldn't hit the reported global $8 trillion mark in 2023, AR is accelerating at pace as a vital and effective e-Commerce experience.
Here’s why furniture and bathroom retailers should act now:
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It’s cost-effective: many AR tools run on cloud-based platforms without the need for custom work, or app development
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It’s scalable: once 3D models are built, they can be reused across channels
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It’s measurable: track QR scans, dwell time, and add-to-cart rates from AR engagements
This isn’t a flash-in-the-pan marketing stunt. AR is becoming a core part of how people shop, and how smart retailers convert browsers into buyers.