An Augmented Reality-Enhanced Mobile Commerce Application with an Integrated AI Chatbot using a Flutter and Firebase Architecture

The rapid proliferation of mobile commerce has transformed the retail landscape, yet it continues to face a significant challenge: the “imagination gap,” where customers struggle to visualize how products will fit into their personal space. This limitation often leads to purchase hesitation and higher return rates. This paper presents the design and development of ShopAR, a comprehensive, cross-platform mobile e-commerce application that directly addresses this challenge by integrating Augmented Reality (AR) and an AI-powered chatbot. Developed using the Flutter framework for a unified iOS and Android user experience, the application is supported by a scalable and serverless backend powered by Google’s Firebase suite. The system’s core innovation is its AR “View in Your Space” feature, which leverages Google’s Scene Viewer to allow users to place 3D models of products into their real-world environment. Furthermore, an integrated AI chatbot, powered by a conversational AI service, provides instant, 24/7 customer support by answering product-related queries. The application includes a full suite of e-commerce functionalities, including user authentication, product catalogs, category filtering, a shopping cart, and a checkout system, with all data managed through Cloud Firestore and Firebase Storage. This paper details the system’s architecture, the integration of its key technologies, and the resulting user experience, demonstrating a practical and powerful model for the future of interactive online retail.