Snap launches dedicated AR shopping space

Snap, owner of Snapchat, has launched a new Snapchat feature, “Dress Up”, which will allow users to try on brands' items using Snapchat’s augmented reality technology.

The feature was launched at the Snap Partner Summit yesterday (28 April), and follows news that advertisers spent £3.5bn on search shopping ads in 2021.

It enables users to browse and add items to their cart within the app.

Since January 2021, 240 million Snapchatters have engaged with AR shopping Lenses more than five billion times.

The Lenses AR feature gives users the ability to try on make-up, trainers, jewellery and clothing, across brands such as Gucci, Dior, and Lacoste, as well as make-up from Mac and Estée Lauder, among others.

Developing this space further, Snap 3D Asset Manager will allow brands to develop 3D models of any product in their catalogue to be tried on in the app, using pre-existing photography of their products.

In addition, new AR Shopping Templates will be available in Lens Web Builder so that brands can create a catalogue and build a visual try-on experience for customers.

Snap is expanding the feature to include furniture and handbags.

“Dress Up” will bring these features together in one place.

The feature will also work in reverse with the Camera Kit for AR shopping. Brands will be able to bring Shopping Lenses onto their own pages, with Puma being the inaugural partner to use this technology for its trainers.

Speaking to Campaign, Ed Couchman, general manager, UK, said: “We're trying to democratise our lead in augmented reality and help brands and businesses get ready for the kind of world that we're now in.”

Commenting on how this will affect media buyers and planners, Couchman said: “There is this narrative around attention deficit, that people mindlessly scroll through their feed and it's really hard for brands to get people's attention. I think AR is a really good counterbalance to that.”

As an example, he cited Estée Lauder, which received £3.47 back from every £1 it spent investing in Snapchat’s AR function.

He added that the function was perfect for hitting Gen-Z, with the app reaching 90% of people between the ages of 13 and 24 in the UK.

Also launched at the summit was Snap's partnership with Live Nation, creating AR experiences for concerts.

In his keynote speech, Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel said: “Augmented reality is important because it combines the power of computing with what we see and experience right in front of us in the real world. It allows us to use computing in a familiar environment, weaving technology seamlessly into our lives.”