Instagram now lets you shop with augmented reality

Instagram is adding another layer to its shopping feature: augmented reality.

Beginning today, a handful of brands that sell their products directly on Instagram will be able to add a new augmented reality try-on feature to product pages. Initially, the new AR feature will be limited to cosmetics (Mac and Nars are early partners) and eyewear brands (Warby Parker and Ray-Ban), but Instagram plans to make it available for more products over time.

The idea is to use augmented reality to help Instagram shoppers preview how certain types of products will actually look on their face. The underlying tech is the same Spark AR platform that powers much of Instagram's camera effects and Facebook's augmented reality ads. Read more...