3D and AR product pages: buyers spin, configure and view your product in their room, with no app
A 3D product viewer or configurator with 'view in your room' AR, built into your Shopify store or B2B catalogue. It runs in the browser on phone and desktop, and it starts with a fixed-price pilot on one product.
Quick answer
A 3D and AR product page lets a buyer rotate your product, switch its colours, materials and options, and then place it at true scale in their own room through the phone camera, all from the product page and without installing an app. VR Express builds these as web 3D viewers and configurators that plug into Shopify, WooCommerce, custom shops and B2B catalogues. You start with a fixed-price pilot of three to four weeks on one product, measured with an outcome dashboard, and the pilot price is credited to the full build if you roll it out across your range.
Try it now on your phone
These are live demos on our own site. Open them on a phone to see the 3D view and the AR placement, or on a desktop to see the interactive 3D.
- AR furniture configurator
Change the configuration, then place it in your room.
- Sofa in 3D and AR
Spin the model, then view it at true scale.
- Chair in 3D and AR
A single product, the simplest pilot format.
Who it is for
3D and AR earn their place when a photo cannot answer the buyer's real question: will it fit, what does it look like in my finish, and which version do I need. That is usually true for:
- Furniture, lighting and interior brands whose buyers want to see size, fabric and colour in their own space before they order.
- Manufacturers with configurable products, where the number of option combinations makes photographing every variant impossible.
- Equipment and B2B suppliers who sell from a catalogue or dealer portal and need to show a machine, fixture or display that is too large or too expensive to ship as a sample.
- Premium and personalised goods, where the buyer wants to see their own combination before paying.
The usual owner is the e-commerce or digital marketing lead, often together with product management, because the same 3D model also serves the sales team, trade shows and marketing visuals.
How it works
- Brief (30 minutes): the product, the options you sell, your shop platform and the page where the viewer will live. We agree the pilot scope and the numbers we will judge it by.
- 3D model: built from your CAD files, or from photos and dimensions if you have none, then optimised so it loads fast on a phone.
- Viewer or configurator: rotate, zoom, switch materials and options, with a one-tap 'view in your room' button that opens the phone's built-in AR.
- Integration: embedded in your Shopify theme, WooCommerce or custom product page, with the selected options passed to the cart or quote request.
- Measure: the outcome dashboard tracks opens, interaction, AR launches and add-to-cart after 3D, so you can compare against the page without it.
More about how we run projects is on our process page.
What you get: pilot, full build, run
- Fixed-price pilot (3 to 4 weeks): one product or product family, its key options, 3D and AR on one live product page, and the outcome dashboard. The acceptance criteria are written down before we start: the model matches your product, AR opens on current iOS and Android phones, and the page stays fast. The pilot price is credited to the full build.
- Full build: your range or catalogue in 3D, a full configurator where you need one, all your languages, and the same viewer reused across every product page, so each new product costs a model, not a new project.
- Run: a monthly plan for hosting, platform and browser updates, new products and seasonal finishes, and the dashboard, so the 3D stays correct as your catalogue changes.
3D and AR vs product photos and a native AR app
Most shops today rely on product photos, sometimes with a 360° spin. Photos are cheap per image but cannot show every variant, and they cannot answer whether the product fits the buyer's room. Each new finish means another photo shoot. A 3D model is made once and renders every option on demand.
The other route is a native AR app. It can do more, but the buyer has to find it, download it and come back to buy, and most will not. A browser-based viewer sits on the page where the buying decision is already happening, works with the link you already share, and is measured like the rest of your site. We still build apps when they are the right answer, but for product pages the web wins.
Full comparison: 3D & AR product page vs product photos.
Proof: 3D, AR and virtual product work by VR Express
- IP Wallet — 3D web configurator
Fashion and luxury · WebGL configurator
A real-time 3D configurator for Individual Perfection: customers explore and personalise the wallet in the browser, on desktop and mobile, before they order.
- Interior design planner — walkthrough configurator
Furniture and interiors · Web3D · 2018
A browser-based 3D tool in which users configure furniture and then walk through the furnished interior in real time.
- AR Menu — augmented-reality cuisine
Hospitality · WebAR platform
Guests view dishes and drinks as interactive 3D and AR straight from their phone, with no app install and a desktop WebGL fallback, across the major browsers.
- KRKA — virtual production plant tour
Pharma · B2B · 2018 · 360° VR
Veterinarians and partners toured KRKA's production plant in VR without leaving the exhibition floor: a B2B buyer seeing how the product is made.
- Travel Academy — VR tourism showcase
Tourism · 2019 · VR stations
Event visitors explored destinations in immersive 360° tours at four VR stations, a direct 'try before you buy' format for a product that cannot be sampled.
- Drezina — 3D product animation
Consumer product · 2019 · 3D
A 3D animation of the Drezina scooter that shows its design, features and functionality, built from the same kind of product model a 3D viewer uses.
VR Express is an XR studio in Sofia, Bulgaria, working since 2015. More examples are in our top XR case studies. If you also want AI on your shop, such as product descriptions, support and recommendations, see AI for e-commerce stores.
Frequently asked questions about 3D and AR product pages
What is a 3D and AR product page?
It is a normal product page with an interactive 3D model of the product built in. Buyers rotate and zoom it, switch colours, materials and options, and on a phone tap one button to place the product at true scale in their own room through the camera. It replaces part of the photo gallery, not the page, so your existing copy, price and checkout stay where they are.
Do buyers need to install an app?
No. The 3D viewer runs in the browser on desktop, iOS and Android. The 'view in your room' step uses the AR that is already built into modern phones, so the buyer goes from product page to AR in one tap and returns to the same page afterwards. Desktops without AR simply show the interactive 3D view.
Does it work with Shopify and other shop platforms?
Yes. Shopify product pages can show 3D models natively, and for configurators we embed the viewer in your theme so the chosen options carry through to the cart. We also integrate with WooCommerce, custom shops and B2B catalogues or dealer portals. The exact integration is agreed in the brief, before the pilot price is fixed.
What do you need from us to start?
Whatever describes the product best: CAD or 3D files if you have them, otherwise photos from several angles, dimensions, and samples or photos of the materials and finishes. We also need the list of options you sell and the product page where the viewer should go. If you have no 3D files, we model the product from your references.
Will 3D slow down the product page?
It should not if it is built for the web. We optimise each model for mobile, show a still image first and load the 3D view only when the buyer interacts with it. Page speed is part of the pilot acceptance criteria, measured on your real page.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
The pilot is a fixed-price project of three to four weeks for one product or product family on one live page. If you continue, the pilot price is credited to the full build of your range. After launch, a monthly plan covers hosting, updates, new products and the analytics dashboard. We quote after a short brief.
How do we know if it works?
Every pilot ships with an outcome dashboard: how many visitors open the 3D view, how long they interact, which options they configure, how many launch AR and how many add to cart or request a quote after doing so. You compare that against the same page without 3D, so the decision to roll out is based on your own numbers.
Which product should your buyers see in their room first?
Send us one product page and its options. In a 30-minute call we will tell you what the pilot covers, what we need from you and how we will measure it.