Smashing Ideas Uses 'Smart Mirror' Technology to Evolve Eyewear Shopping

Digital design agency Smashing Ideas recently created a virtual eyeglasses try-on platform with “smart mirror” technology that is set to revolutionize the eyewear shopping experience and retail industry. In collaboration with ULSee, the agency created a facial tracking software demo that converts 2D to 3D imagery and yields a near-perfect visual experience. The product will boost profit margins for eyewear retailers giving them the ability to reduce their costly physical inventory in exchange for a far more robust and practical digital catalog.

Aside from technological advancement, Smashing’s development of this platform is demonstrative of the constantly blurring lines between digital and brick-and-mortar retail. The software’s lifelike interface will give consumers a genuine idea of fit via smartphone or tablet, and provide them with the option to purchase or have their selection waiting for them at the store. The hyper-accuracy of the platform offers eyewear retailers and consumers fluidity between being online and in-store without sacrificing quality, choice or service.

The agency utilized their signature Motivational Design methodology in the creation of this platform. They conducted research to gather customer opinions, interfaced with retailers to address pain points, and used the insights to inform the design of the software. Each build-out can fit approximately ten thousand virtual frames, and additional designs can be housed on a server allowing customers to efficiently try on multiple frames in whatever location is most convenient.