Camera company Snap, best known for their Snapchat social media app, made numerous announcements during their recent Snap Partner Summit 2022, most notably of which are changes to the camera and Augmented Reality functionality.
Snapchat has featured their AR shopping feature for some time, and has reported rapid growth. According to their official Snap Partner Summit 2022 press release, “more than 250 million Snapchatters have engaged with AR shopping Lenses more than 5 billion times” since January of last year. The lenses allow users to try on items of clothing to get an idea of what it would look like. Making use of what the company call ‘true-size technology, ads saw a 42% higher return on ad spend, as opposed to lenses without.
Credit: Snap
In response to that growth, Snapchat have upgraded the AR shopping experience in their app though the implementation of several new features.
First off is the Snap 3D Asset Manager, which according to the company “makes it faster and easier for businesses to build augmented reality shopping experiences”. New lenses are now able to be created almost instantly, as brands are able to “request, manage, and optimize 3D models for any product in their catalogue.
The big upgrade comes in the form of ‘Dress Up’, a new location on the Snapchat app that allows users to combine items of clothing in the one place and create an outfit. With settings for saved preferences, users are able to easily access brands they often enjoy, while also easily browsing new ones.
Credit: Snap
Finally, Snapchat commerce partners now have access to the Camera Kit for AR Shopping. The kit is an AR SDK that allows retailers to make use of the Snapchat try-on lenses on their own platforms, “enhancing the digital shopping experience”. Currently it only works on iOS and Android, but will be rolled out to websites in the future.
Credit: Snap
Other announcements include a partnership with Live Nation for increased connection between artists and their fans, and the launch of the Snap Pixy Drone, which will only be available in the UK and US.
