The most useful AR data does not come from IKEA. It comes from stores that look like yours.
Shopify made AR unusually accessible for regular stores, which means we finally have numbers from businesses without an agency retainer. That is the data worth reading. The pattern from store-level reports: AR works best where shoppers hesitate. Furniture, home decor, anything where size and appearance in context drive the decision. Stores selling simple, well-understood products see smaller lifts, because there was less uncertainty to remove in the first place.
Implementation details matter more than the platform. The stores reporting the strongest results share traits: good 3D models, not rushed ones; the AR button placed where shoppers actually see it; and mobile-first design, because AR is a phone experience. Desktop-first stores leave most of the value on the table.
Cost is the other half of the ROI math. Models cost money, per model or per month, and the lift has to cover it. For high-margin or high-consideration products, it usually does. For two-dollar accessories, probably not. Shopify's ecosystem helps with the research. The AR apps in the app store carry reviews from real stores, and those reviews mention what vendors will not: load times, theme conflicts, support quality. Read them like restaurant reviews. The three-star ones are the honest ones. Most stores start with an AR Shopify plugin app rather than custom development, which is the right instinct. The AR ecommerce plugin SaaS market is mature enough to evaluate on reviews, trials, and theme compatibility instead of sales calls.
ARCommerce tracks published AR results including Shopify stores, part of 68 brands with real conversion-lift numbers.
Running a Shopify store and wondering if AR pencils out? I consult e-commerce brands on AR, from 3D assets to product pages, at arcommerce.fyi.