Snap has landed a notable new partner for its augmented reality-powered Virtual Try-On shopping experience with today’s news that Amazon will now offer Snapchat users the ability to digitally try on eyewear styles from among a range of popular brands. Amazon Fashion’s new partnership with the social app maker will see brands including Maui Jim, Persol, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Costa Del Mar and others made available to Snapchat’s 363 million daily active users. for a virtual try-on, the retailer said.
The launch will see dozens of new shopping lenses available in categories including sunglasses, reading glasses and seasonal eyewear.
The partnership is one of many that followed Snap’s investments in AR shopping, where it rolled out a number of upgrades this year to better appeal to retailers and brands, including the ability to update real-time product and pricing information, access to better analytics, and easier creation of AR shopping lenses, among others. Other brands that have taken advantage of Snapchat’s AR shopping lenses include MAC Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty, American Eagle, Puma, Chanel, Walmart, LVMH, eyewear brands Goodr and Zenni Optical, and recently, for Halloween, costume company Disguise.
Over the past year, Snap says 250 million Snapchat users have engaged with its AR shopping lenses more than 5 billion times.
Picture credits: Snap/Amazon
To create the AR shopping experience for Amazon, Amazon used Snap’s self-service authoring system in Lens Web Builder, which enabled the creation of scalable AR assets using Amazon’s existing 3D models. If Amazon product prices change or an item goes out of stock, the lenses will automatically update in real time, Snap notes.
The creation of Shopping Lens is one area Snap has been working on to improve its technology. Earlier this year, it updated its Lens Web Builder that allowed groups to create Shopping Lenses in minutes. In April, Snap announced that it would begin offering retailers access to new AR image processing technology in its 3D asset manager that makes it easier and faster to create AR shopping experiences. The process uses AI and the brand’s own photography to turn standard photos into AR assets, Snap explained at the time.
To access the new Amazon AR shopping feature, Snapchat users can find the new lenses on the @amazonfashion public profile on the Snapchat app, via Snap’s lens explorer, via the new tab ” Skinning” offering shopping experiences in AR, and via the Snap Carousel of camera lenses. When users discover a pair of glasses they like, they can tap a link at the bottom of the screen to make a purchase. This directs them to the Amazon app on their phone to checkout. Snap does not receive a commission on these sales, we understand.
Picture credits: Snap/Amazon
Amazon also notes that Snapchat users will now be able to browse thousands of eyewear products in Amazon Fashion’s “store” tab on its profile, although these are not augmented reality compatible.
Picture credits: Snap/Amazon
While the AR shopping experience begins with the glasses, this will be the first of the other Amazon AR shopping experiences on Snapchat to come. We understand the larger plan is to launch the eyewear partnership, but expand to other categories in the coming months.
Snap also suggests this is the case in its public statement:
“With the combined innovation and technology between Snap and Amazon, we are unlocking exciting and fun new trial experiences for hundreds of millions of Snapchatters,” Ben Schwerin, SVP of Partnerships at Snap, said in an announcement. “AR glasses are just the first step in our partnership, and we look forward to continuing our innovation together,” he added.
Amazon also noted that it has already invested in AR shopping experiences itself and sees Snap as an extension of those efforts.
“Millions of customers routinely use Amazon’s AR shopping technology across all categories of our stores, with virtual try-on for eyewear being a long-time customer favorite,” said Muge Erdirik Dogan, President of Amazon. Amazon Fashion. “We’re thrilled to partner with Snapchat and further expand AR shopping for fashion brands and today’s new generation of digital shoppers.”
Neither company would comment on the expected length of their newly established partnership.
This isn’t Amazon’s first foray into AR shopping.
Recently, Amazon announced its own expansion into AR shopping with the June 2022 launch of a new virtual try-on experience for shoes, available to consumers in the US and Canada in Amazon’s iOS app. . Using this feature, app users could purchase shoes from brands such as New Balance, Adidas, Reebok, Puma, Saucony, Lacoste, Asics, and Superga. Previously, Amazon had only done AR shopping, having experimented with areas like AR for furniture purchases and dumber things, like AR stickers or AR features on its seasonal shipping boxes. However, it’s unclear if AR is driving a huge increase in conversions through Amazon’s own efforts, as we’d likely see more AR features if it did. That could be, in part, why Amazon is now turning to an outside partner for augmented reality shopping — and one that appeals to younger audiences more comfortable using the technology and eager to browse and to buy from a social media application.