Snap, AR and shopping lenses: Amber Sayer on how the mainstream has changed

It was not too long ago that Snapchat AR meant nothing more than puppy ears, lolling tongues and puking rainbows. Since then, the technology has evolved beyond recognition, with 250 million people now engaging with AR on Snap every day.

Since running its first commercial AR lens in 2015, Snap has significantly developed its AR capabilities, transforming the way retailers and consumers interact.

“From trying on a pair of trainers in the comfort of your home or going into a store for an AR experience – we’re really excited about how AR can marry the physical and digital worlds,” Snap senior head of retail and ecommerce Amber Sayer tells Charged.

“Snapchat’s AR-savvy audience love spending time playing with branded AR and then sharing experiences with their close friends. As a result, we’re finding brands are shifting their perception of AR and considering it as a utility – and at Snapchat we’ve developed products to enable this.”

Snap has partnered with a host of major retailers including JD Sports, Puma, M&S and John Lewis to create immersive digital experiences. With the social media giant boasting 332 million users worldwide, these retailers have an unrivalled opportunity to reach a large and engaged audience.

According to Deloitte, more than 100 million consumers are shopping with AR, both online and in stores. Evidently, AR shopping lenses have firmly entered the mainstream.

“AR shopping is already at scale today on Snapchat, not in some distant future,” Sayer adds.

“Millions of Snapchatters are engaging with shopping experiences every day on the app. This is creating massive opportunities and new connections between retailers and consumers.”

How does Snap AR work?

Snap’s AR technology enables consumers to virtually try on items such as clothing, make-up and accessories, visualising the exact size of products through the camera with ‘world object scale’.

Technologies like Snapchat’s body tracking and right fit feature ensures that clothing and products are specifically tailored for each Snapchatter’s body and face shape, while also representing the true size of the product to enable the right fit.

Puma was one of the first brands to take advantage of the technology, launching an AR experience allowing users to ‘slip on’ its classic Puma Suede shoe before purchasing

The sportswear retailer’s AR campaign targeted Snapchatters aged 16-30 in a move to increase brand-awareness among this demographic.

The campaign was also featured in Snap Ads, reaching Snapchat users in both the camera and content, enhancing the overall reach and impact.

Sayer also hailed MAC Cosmetics’ recent AR try-on lens as a “remarkable success story”.

MAC leveraged Snap’s catalog-powered shopping lenses to create a scalable AR lens which allowed Snapchatters to see how various shades of lipstick look on them.

As the lens was directly integrated with the beauty brand’s product catalogue, users were able to view and swipe through different colours with ease, check pricing and purchase the products directly.

MAC’s campaign saw an impressive 1.3 million try-ons. This resulted in 17 times more purchases among women, a 2.4 times boost in brand awareness, and 9 times higher lift in purchase intent.

“For consumers, AR shopping is a fun way to browse, shop, and buy from top brands and retailers,” Sayer says.

“They don’t have to physically be in a store to browse, try on, and purchase a product. That is a connection unparalleled with any other marketing solution.

“For retailers, AR is transforming commerce – an engaging way to market products to our AR-loving community, and now to drive real sales and help prevent returns.”

MAC’s success demonstrates the growing impact of AR and a growing consumer desire for bespoke, personalised shopping experiences. In fact, consumers who view AR as a social activity are 42% more likely to purchase products from the brand, according to Deloitte.

Are Snap AR lenses the future?

AR shopping lenses offer shoppers a way to interact with, try on and purchase products, an valuable solution for those desiring convenience and personalisation.

The pandemic rapidly accelerated the uptake of online shopping and looking towards the future, consumers are leaning towards more engaging digital commerce experiences.

Sayer believes a connected shopping approach – where consumers can combine the convenience of a digital experience with the benefits of a physical store – is critical to drawing consumers back to the high street.

According to a study by Foresight Factory, 30% of UK shoppers said they would go out of their way to visit a store if it had interactive services that allowed them to try-on and test items virtually. Meanwhile, 19% said they were more likely to shop in stores that offered online features such as instant access to stock information or a home delivery service.

According to Snap’s research, more than 1 in 3 global shoppers already expect AR to be available now, when shopping for items such as clothes, beauty, furniture, luxury and cars. At the same time, two in five (around 40%) expect AR to be available in the coming year.

What is next for Snap’s AR technology? 

“We are focused on continuing to build realistic try-on experiences across various categories, strengthening the AR format on our platform and scaling AR shopping experiences both on and off our platform,” Sayer says.

She reveals that at a recent partner summit, Snap unveiled more ways to enhance the shopping experience, with four new innovations that it will continue to develop, including Snap 3D Asset Manager which makes it faster and easier for businesses to build AR shopping experiences. Brands can now request, manage, and optimize 3D models for any product in their catalogue.

In addition, Snap has recently unveiled Camera Kit for AR Shopping, a new opportunity to bring the best of Snap’s camera for AR try-on directly to brand’s own apps and sites – not just on Snapchat.

Snap is clearly aiming to be the first place where retailers come when implementing AR strategies into their plans. The marriage of AR and retail presents a significant opportunity for brands and by investing in the space, Snap is in a prime position to capitalise on this growing market.

Click here to sign up to Charged‘s free daily email newsletter

AnalysisFeatures

RELATED POSTS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.