Snap Announces New AR Feature And Shopping Experiences

Snap, the company that owns Snapchat, is demonstrating new technologies that will let companies and users have better Augmented Reality (AR) purchasing experiences.

Snap made a number of updates during its yearly Snap Partner Summit (2022), including new software elements for enabling an AR purchasing experience from the retailer's perspective.

"Snapchat has evolved from a form of visual communication in a Snap to an augmented reality system over the years, and our camera has become significantly more capable."

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel noted during the presentation that on average, consumers engage with AR Lenses on Snapchat six billion times a day, using technology in completely new ways through our Camera.

Snap wants to deliver AI-powered shopping lenses for checking on clothing as part of its AR Shopping experiences.

Snapchat lenses are similar to filters on other apps, except they usually have an AR component. It is now launching a specialized Dress Up location on the Snapchat app.

Users will be able to enjoy the best of AR fashion and try-on experiences from designers, retailers, and fashion companies all in one space.

It will be accessible through Lens Explorer, encouraging people to explore, discover, and discuss new styles from across the world.

Consumers will also see a shopping column in their Profile, in which they can find things they've favorited, recently visited, and placed in their cart.

Snap says that if a brand's Lenses are listed on their Brand Profile, they will be evaluated for Dress Up.

It will also provide businesses with a new AR Image Processing technology. This technology enables companies to take existing product photos from their e-commerce websites and turn them into AR-ready materials for Snapchat's AR try-on Lens experiences.

As part of early screening for AR shopping, it will collaborate with Puma first and Ralph Lauren later.

Moreover, Snap isn't confining the AR experience to its own platform. It's also bringing new shopping features to the Camera Kit, allowing businesses to embed the same AR experience on their own web pages.

However, the tool will be in beta. Following beta testing, the company intends to make it more widely available. The company aims to focus on an additional feature set exclusively for retailers.

It's not only about including our Snap AR technology in their app. It also connects to their commerce backend, allowing Snap to automate the design and delivery of AR experiences.