US' Snap's new AR technology to enrich shopping experience for brands

Snap’s 3D asset manager is a web content management platform that makes it easy for businesses to request, approve, and optimise 3D models – for any product in their shopping product catalogue. And through asset sharing capabilities, retailers and brands can utilise approved 3D models from well-known brands already in Snap’s asset management system, the company said in a media release.

The company’s new AR image processing technology, developed by Forma, allows businesses to leverage existing product photography for their e-commerce websites and transform them into turnkey AR-ready assets for Snapchat AR try-on lens experiences. Through this technology, shoppers can try on even more outfits more easily, from the comfort of their own home, simply by taking a full body selfie. 

Snap’s new AR shopping templates in Lens Web Builder make it free for brands to import their assets and create catalogue-shopping lenses in minutes, with no AR development skills needed. This feature is available now in a beta for select partners, apparel, eyewear and footwear brands in building virtual try-on and visualisation experiences using their AR-ready assets.

These three new technologies enable businesses of all sizes to create AR Shopping experiences quickly and easily – bringing personalised, immersive shopping opportunities to shoppers.  

Another new offering is the camera kit for AR shopping which allows customers to try-on or visualise products. This kit brings catalogue-powered shopping lenses into retailers and brands’ product detail pages directly from their owned and operated applications.

Puma is Snap’s first global brand partner to use the technology. Shoppers will be able to digitally try-on Puma sneakers, all powered by Snap’s camera kit.

Since January of last year, more than 250 million Snapchatters have engaged with AR shopping Lenses more than 5 billion times – trying on and visualising products from brands and retailers around the world.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HO)