Google Expands Virtual Try-on Technology to Include Shoes

Google’s virtual try-on technology now lets users see how they would look in a pair of shoes that they found online.

Beginning Wednesday (Oct. 8), the company added shoes to the other clothing items available in this artificial intelligence-powered technology, it said in an announcement.

“To try on shoes, just tap on any product listing on Google, select the ‘try it on’ button and add a full-length photo of yourself,” the announcement said. “Within moments you’ll see what you might look like in those heels or sneakers.”

Google also said in the announcement that it will expand its virtual try-on technology to Australia, Canada and Japan in the coming weeks.

The technology is currently available only in the United States.

“Shoppers in the U.S. are having lots of fun trying clothes on (even sharing their try on images significantly more than standard product listings) and now there’s even more to check out,” Google said in the announcement, referring to the addition of shoes.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Getting to Know You: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Shopping” found that 14% of consumers would like the shopping experience provided by merchants to include mixed-reality product try-ons.

The report said that Walmart and Amazon have been expanding their online try-on options and the L’Oréal reported a 150% increase in virtual try-ons between 2022 and 2023.

Google’s virtual try-on tool originally allowed shoppers to see garments on models of various body types. It expanded over time to include additional items so it could display complete outfits.

In a March blog post, Lilian Rincon, vice president of consumer shopping product at Google, wrote that this feature was “rolling out to shoppers to bring more visual inspiration to your shopping journeys on Google, helping you better visualize how items fit your style so you can feel more confident when you buy something.”

Google announced in May that the virtual try-on tool would begin letting users see clothes on their own photos.

After being released as a limited experiment, that virtual try-on capability was launched in the U.S. in July.

“Upload a full-length photo of yourself and within minutes you’ll see what you might look like wearing those gingham-print pants on the first day of class,” Danielle Buckley, director of product, consumer shopping at Google, wrote at the time in a blog post. “You can scroll through other looks you’ve tried, save your faves and share with friends.