Google is doubling down on fashion tech this month: its experimental AI try‑on app Doppl now includes a shoppable discovery feed, and the company has pushed its Virtual Apparel Try On tool into the UK and India.
Doppl’s new feed looks and behaves a lot like the short‑form video streams that have remade shopping on social platforms — but there’s a twist. Nearly every clip in Doppl’s feed is AI‑generated: short videos of real products rendered on the app’s virtual avatars and suggested to you based on a personalized style profile. Google builds that profile from the preferences you tell Doppl and the items you tap, swipe or try on in the app. Most of what appears in the feed links directly to merchants, so discovery can turn into checkout with minimal friction. The feed is rolling out on iOS and Android in the U.S. for people 18 and older.
Why this matters
Short‑form video has conditioned people to scroll‑and‑buy. Google’s bet is that if it packages discovery the same way — visual, fast, and shoppable — it can compete with social commerce and slow Amazon’s dominance in product search. Unlike TikTok or Instagram, though, Doppl’s feed isn’t a parade of real creators; it’s synthetic content produced by Google’s models. That makes it cheaper to scale and easier to control for commerce signals, but it also raises fresh questions about authenticity and creative ownership.
How the tech works
Doppl turns still virtual try‑on images into motion so you can see how a garment might move on a body. Separately, Google’s Virtual Apparel Try On — now available across billions of listings in the UK and India — lets shoppers upload a single, full‑length photo and preview tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets and even shoes on their own frame. Google says the underlying fashion model understands both human shape and fabric behavior — how denim folds, how wool drapes — so a preview should give a closer sense of fit and fall than a flat product image.
This combination of static try‑ons, motion previews and a scrollable commerce feed is a logical next step. It’s also a clear example of how Google is stitching AI into everyday products: from search and shopping to agents that book appointments. The company’s recent push to add more agentic AI features and assistant‑style experiences shows the same pattern of moving from demonstration to commerce at scale.Google's AI Mode is adding agentic booking features where assistants do the heavy lifting
Broader context and friction points
Retailers and startups have been experimenting with virtual try‑on for years — from eyewear firms that let you try frames in 3D to furniture apps that drop sofas into your living room. Smart mirrors and generative AR avatars are on the roadmap for many brands, promising lower return rates and more confident purchases. Yet gaps remain: privacy (what happens to uploaded photos), accuracy (no model is perfect at predicting fit), and the economics of replacing human creators with synthetic feeds.
Google is not alone in pursuing AI‑made short videos: other big players have started testing similar ideas, and Google’s own suite of AI efforts — including Gemini integrations in Maps and other products — suggests the company wants these models to feed multiple surfaces across its services.Gemini features are already appearing in Google Maps and other consumer tools
What shoppers can expect
If you try Doppl, you’ll see outfit suggestions tailored to the tastes you express, and the app will let you flip between looks, move an avatar, and tap through to buy. The expanded Virtual Try On in the UK and India works the same way as in the U.S.: upload a well‑lit, full‑length image and try on listings that show the “try it on” icon. Google says early U.S. testers found the experience more personal than scrolling through photos, and that a majority described it as fun — which is part of the point when shopping becomes entertainment.
For brands, the appeal is straightforward: better discovery, lower friction to purchase, and a new channel to showcase inventory. For consumers, the tradeoffs are personal — convenience and entertainment versus questions about synthetic content, data handling and whether a virtual preview really replaces a changing room.
The shopping room goes digital
Google’s moves make clear that the fitting room is migrating into your phone: a mix of AI models that simulate cloth and body, video that sells, and links that close the sale. Whether shoppers warm to a feed of entirely AI‑generated fashion clips or prefer real people guiding trends, this month’s updates move the industry closer to a future where discovery, try‑on and checkout are a single, fast swipe away.