Snapchat To Transform E-Commerce Reality With Expansion In Ar Technology

Author: Team WH

Published On: 20-06-22

Last Updated on: 04-01-23

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The $1.07 billion worth photo-messaging app is taking the social commerce market by storm with the introduction of AR tech based tools. In the latest Snap Partner Summit 2022, the brand went ahead to flaunt this feature, which will significantly augment its capabilities.

The social commerce app has highlighted how Snap AR shopping has enhanced the user experience with brands like Puma, Zenni Optical and American Eagle Outfitters. Through Snapchat’s Lens Explorer, the consumers can now try out new fashion looks without waiting in long fitting-room queues.

Once a ‘teenage entertainment’ platform is now giving tough competition to its rivals to develop something as compelling as AR lenses.

What does the feature include?

The latest in-app addition is called “Dress Up”, which features AR fashion with virtual try-on experiences.

• The tool enables the users to take a full body picture of themselves while being dressed.
• The augmented reality technology observes the clicked image and superimposes digital images of apparel in different poses.

Essentially, the newly introduced AR lens will offer the consumer an in-person shopping experience through phone screens. Consider this as the product try ons’ feature by Snap Inc.

The head of AR business strategy at Snap, Carolina Arguelles Navas elaborates on the intent behind such an innovative move, “For the first time, you can try on a new outfit without having to change your clothes. Ultimately, we’re going from ‘this looks good” to “this looks good on me.”

How does Snap aim to expand brands’ outreach to its consumers?

The multimedia instant messaging app has been making breakthroughs in AR-powered technology over the past year.

• By including ‘Scan” inside the Camera section and bolstering it with commerce functionality, the company is heating up the social media business race.
• Snap has even gone a step ahead by offering support for real-time pricing and product details to enrich the consumers’ experience.
• Now the brand has given more free hand to the retailers for utilizing their AR try-on tech using the in-app Camera Kit.
• The liberty for the retailers will enable them to use catalog-powered shopping lenses on their own pages for clothing, accessories and so on.
• The Image Processing technology in Snap’s 3D Asset Manager facilitates brands to create new lenses for products without additional costs.

Simply put, the company aims to extract all the good things people love in their shopping experiences and recreate them using augmented reality.

The head of emerging commerce at Snapchat, Mark McMaster, elaborates that the AR offering caters to the social nature of shopping – “the user’s can try-on, shop and share with friends.”

How are brands reacting to the recent launch from Snap?

Snap’s offering gained momentum as soon it was released. Since January 2021, more than 250 million consumers have tried out the Shopping Lenses driving over 5 billion engagements with the app.

• Puma pioneered the way of becoming the first global partner for using Snap’s AR technology.
• Zenni Opticals integrated Snap’s Lens Explorer into their app, which drove 42% higher returns on ads.
• One of the largest creative agencies, WPP, announced an inaugural partnership with the app to leverage its AR features.
• Dior, Hoka and other luxury apparel brands have already released campaigns advertising the usage of lenses in shopping.
• Snap’s AR tech has gone beyond merely shopping with Live Nation to create an immersive experience for artists and fans.
• DTC skincare company TULA launched its eye cream incorporating AR tech lenses to stimulate the application and post usage effects.

How does it impact the future growth projections of Snapchat?

The technological strides, as well as Snap’s acquisitions, indicate its plan to generate more revenue by establishing itself in the social commerce sector.

The reason is quite straightforward.

• With the estimated growth of e-commerce spending to a trillion dollars by 2022, the non-conventional approach to enhance revenue without selling products is by becoming a part of the purchasing journey.
• On top of this, over 238 million people use Snapchat on a daily basis, and Gen Z forms a 90% share of the same.
• In fact, social media purchases amongst adults below 25 age have increased from 53% in 2020 to 61% now.

For this reason, the e-commerce brands find the multimedia app a convenient option to catapult their products’ performance and increase their profits.

Snapchat is leveraging the growing appetite of consumers to shop from the convenience of their homes. With AR as the most popular feature leading to over 250 million engagements, the executives are estimating the growth of its top-line revenue by more than 50%. Let’s see how well Snapchat e-commerce will grow.