# Michaels' 3D Frame Builder Drives In-Store Traffic With Digital-First Visualization

*Craft retailer uses augmented reality to let customers design custom frames before buying, bridging online browsing and physical purchase.*

By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC.
Published 2026-08-21.

Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/michaels-2026-08-21t06-5
Subject: Michaels
Tags: augmented reality, custom product, conversion, visualization, framing

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Michaels launched a 3D digital frame builder that lets customers design and preview custom framed art before placing an order, according to **Retail Dive**. The tool works both online and in-store, allowing shoppers to upload images, select frame styles, and see a rendered preview of the finished product in three dimensions.

The frame builder addresses a core friction point in custom framing: customers cannot visualize the finished piece until it is assembled. By rendering a digital mockup, Michaels collapses the decision window from days to minutes. Shoppers configure size, mat color, frame material, and glazing options, then see the result on screen. The tool integrates with the retailer's existing framing service, feeding directly into fulfillment once the customer commits.

The mechanism works because it turns an uncertain purchase into a confident one. Custom framing carries high unit economics — frames often cost **$100 to $300** or more — but also high abandonment rates when customers cannot picture the outcome. Visualization tools reduce buyer hesitation by making the abstract concrete. The same principle drives configurators in furniture, apparel, and home goods: show the customer exactly what they are buying, and conversion lifts.

Michaels benefits on two fronts. Online, the builder captures demand from customers who would never walk into a store to ask about framing. In-store, it acts as a conversion aid, letting associates walk a shopper through options without needing physical samples for every combination. The digital layer also creates data: Michaels now knows which frame styles, mat colors, and price points resonate before the customer checks out, informing inventory and merchandising decisions.

A small physical-product brand can run the same play without building custom software. Start with a manual version: offer customers a simple form — Google Form or Typeform — where they describe what they want to customize (size, color, material). Then send them a mockup: a photo edit, a Canva render, or a quick Photoshop comp showing their product in the chosen configuration. Charge nothing for the mockup if the order value justifies it, or add **$10 to $25** as a design fee that comes off the final price. The workflow is: customer submits preferences, you render a visual in **24 hours**, customer approves or revises, then you produce. Total cost per mockup: **30 to 60 minutes** of design time.

For brands with SKU variation — apparel, furniture, packaging, signage — this turns a confusing product page into a co-creation experience. The mockup becomes the sales tool. Customers share it, post it, use it to justify the purchase to a spouse or a boss. Conversion improves because the customer has already seen their version of the product. Returns drop because expectations align with reality. Over time, you identify the most-requested configurations and photograph them as hero images, reducing mockup volume.

The broader pattern is pre-visualization as a margin lever. High-ticket or customizable products carry hidden abandonment costs when customers cannot picture the end state. Adding a rendering step — digital or manual — compresses the consideration cycle and pulls forward the purchase decision. Michaels built software. You can start with a designer and a form.

## The takeaway

Let customers see the finished product before they buy, even if you render it manually at first.

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## Publisher

**Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339.
Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**.

- Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about
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