The major AR shopping upgrade includes a simplified, more useful AR try-on shopping feature for Snapchat users. New Lens Product cards will allow users to quickly see product info like prices, descriptions, and unique URLs that will allow them to purchase a product whilst virtually trying it on. Another expansion to the Lens feature means that beauty brands can create Shopping Lenses in as fast as two minutes – with more verticals coming soon.
Setting the tone for AR growth
Snap is leading in augmented reality, with over 200 million people engaging with AR on the platform every day. Users turn to Snap’s AR features for personal fun and entertainment, as well as useful services such as commerce and education.
Over the past year, Snap has centered on AR shopping as a key company initiative – offering brands real-time AR try-on experiences that reach millions of Snapchatters. Whether it be to try on makeup, shoes, watches, or glasses, AR shopping is a key emerging part of how its community engages with the app. Snapchatters engage with the platform’s AR features more than six billion times per day.
According to Jeremi Gorman, Chief Business Officer, Snap Inc: “Augmented reality is changing the way we shop, play, and learn, and transforming how businesses tell their stories and sell their products. Starting today, our revamped AR Shopping Lenses will mean a more engaging experience for our Snapchat community, and enable a faster, easier way to build Lenses for businesses – directly linking Lenses to existing product catalogs for real-time analytics and R&D about which products resonate with Gen Z and Millennial audiences.”
As Snap pioneer the use of AR in the social sphere, we will continue to follow its development, also taking a look at the competitor platforms working on their AR offerings – a must, as commerce creeps closer to the Metaverse.
