Augmented reality (AR) isn’t a new concept. In fact, brands like Converse were experimenting with the immersive technology as far back as 2012, allowing sneaker aficionados to “try on” various shoes and see what they would look like on their feet.

Peter Sheldon is Senior Director of Strategy at Adobe.

But it wasn’t until about 2016 when AR got the much-needed push into the mainstream, when Niantic launched the AR-enhanced game Pokémon GO for iOS and Android devices. And when marketers saw how engaged and almost obsessed people became with the game (US daily users clocked in at 28.5 million at its peak), the opportunity to leverage AR for marketing became evident.

Fast forward to today, and there’s a slew of brands trying the format out for size. From Lowe’s to Wayfair, Benjamin Moore, and others, AR has turned into a medium for not only allowing people to contextually visualize what an item looks like but also to confirm fit and size. And while the home improvement industry is at the forefront of using AR for marketing, I see opportunities for many industries. Let’s walk through a few examples.

Footwear. While Converse made early strides in the footwear space with its Sample It app that let consumers visualize shoes on their feet, Nike has really taken this concept to a whole new level, ensuring the shoes a consumer chooses actually fit their feet.

Nike Fit, a scanning app, uses a combination of computer vision, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and recommendation algorithms to measure the full shape of a user’s feet and know the perfect fit for each Nike shoe style.

The app collects data on 13 points on a person’s foot within a matter of seconds. This foot dimension can be stored in a user’s NikePlus account for future shopping both online and in store.

“Nike Fit is a transformative solution and an industry first—using a digital technology to solve for massive customer friction,” Nike writes in its press release for the launch of the app. “In the short term, Nike Fit will improve the way Nike designs, manufactures, and sells shoes—product better tailored to match consumer needs. A more accurate fit can contribute to everything from less shipping and fewer returns to better performance.”

Fashion. During CES in 2018, Gap unveiled its DressingRoom by Gap app, which was created to help customers try on clothing virtually. Shoppers can choose a Gap style they might be interested in purchasing and select one of five body types to visualize what an outfit will look like on them.