Buying things online can be a daunting experience, especially when you're shopping for furniture. Who wants to buy a new couch without at least getting to see it in person?

That's why Amazon just rolled out a new mobile augmented reality feature that not only lets you see how that couch would look in life size, but also lets you test how it would look in your home.

How to Test Drive Amazon Furniture Before You Buy It

AR View is currently only available in the U.S. version of the iOS App Store and only on iPhones running iOS 11, but should be coming to Android soon.

  1. Open up the Amazon App and tap the camera icon next to the search bar.
  2. Tap AR view.
  3. You can choose from seven categories: Top Picks, Living Room, Home Decor, Bedroom, Kitchen, Electronics, and Toys and Games.
  4. Tap on the item you want to test out in your home and the camera will open up.
  5. You'll want to find a flat empty surface to test the item and tap your phone screen in that flat area. We found that holding the camera parallel to the floor worked best. You'll then want to just step back to see how that piece of furniture looks in your home.
  6. Once you've placed the item, you can also move or spin it to get it exactly where you want it.

In addition to testing furniture with Amazon's AR View, you can also use to make sure you have enough space on your kitchen counter for that fancy coffee machine you've been lusting after.

To see the feature in action, check out Amazon's video below:

The feature was just introduced less than a week ago so it does have a long way to go. One of its biggest shortcoming is that you can't search for an item on Amazon and test it using AR View. Instead, you have a limited number of items you can test that are listed in the AR View section of the app. It also can be a little buggy when testing furniture, particularly in smaller spaces.

What you think of Amazon's new AR feature? Do you find it useful or gimmicky? Do you think it will help you make a decision when it comes to shopping for furniture online? Let us know in the comments.