US-based visual messaging giant Snap Inc. unveiled new shopping and fashion features using augmented reality (AR) on Wednesday, with users now set to be able to try on and purchase products through the app.
Users can now purchase different types of clothes and makeup from global brands such as L’Oréal, Puma, Adidas, Nike, Farfetch, Asos, Prada, MAC Cosmetics, among others, after trying them on virtually through Snapchat. They will need snapcodes to access a lens that “completely transformed their look with one touch,” Snap Inc said, or can explore different styles through the ‘Fashion’ subhead on the ‘Explore’ option in the mobile app.
Snap’s new tool will help personalise the fashion and beauty industry, the company said.
“Our augmented reality tools allow brands to tailor experiences to their various audiences, giving them the opportunity to try a product from the comfort of their own home,” Snap Inc’s MENA general manager Hussein Freijeh said.
The process of creating such filters can either take minutes to build, or sometimes even weeks, Snap Inc’s product marketing manager Sandra Essa told Arabian Business.
“The process can really take weeks, it can take days, depending on the company, we call it the complexity on what we’re building. If you’re just doing a simple version, it takes a few minutes. But, if you’re building a multiverse experience, it could take a while.”
Snapchat collaborating with brands on augmented reality
“Luckily for us, our brands are meeting us along the way, and helping bring their vision to us, especially because we are leading in AR commerce,” Essa said.
Essa added they have plans to localise brands to garner more attention from the region, adding that there are some brands in the UAE that have considered to part of the AR technology via Snapchat.
According to statista, by 2025 around one-third of shoppers in the United States will have used AR-powered technologies while buying products online.
“AR technologies enable virtual product viewing when shopping online. The study showed that while in countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the expected use of AR was as high as 45 percent, in Europe, this share was much lower,” Statista said.
Snapchat has over 350 million daily active users globally. The new AR shopping experience will be rolled out to the entire userbase, the company said.
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