Snap and Amazon Fashion create new AR Shopping Experience

Snap and Amazon Fashion have partnered to bring new Virtual Try-On (VTO) experiences to Snapchat users. The social media and retail giants are hoping their combined services will attract some of the 1.4 billion people forecast to use augmented reality on their smartphones in 2023.

Mobile shopping is a fast growing channel, with Amazon Fashion customers purchasing over one billion fashion items on mobile devices. With the new shopping experience, 363m daily Snapchat users will firstly have access to selected Amazon eyewear brands, including Maui Jim, Persol, Oakley, and Costa Del Mar. Eyewear is the first VTO Shopping Lens category for the Amazon and Snap partnership, which both companies plan to expand into additional categories.

Tapping into a 142 billion dollar market

The global virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) technologies market is expected to reach 142.4 billion dollars this year, a significant growth from the 13.4 billion dollars in 2018.

“Amazon Fashion is always looking for new ways to collaborate with brands and create fun, innovative shopping experiences for customers,” says Muge Erdirik Dogan, president of Amazon Fashion. “Millions of customers regularly use Amazon’s AR shopping technology across categories in our stores, with Virtual Try-On for Eyewear being a long-time customer favorite. We are delighted to partner with Snapchat and further expand AR shopping for both fashion brands and today’s new generation of digital shoppers.”

With a focus on seamless shopping, Amazon’s 3D Asset technology - a service that can be extended to industry partners - works with Snap's Lenses to allow 3D assets and product information to be shared and dynamically updated, providing shoppers with up-to-date product details and availability.

“With the combined innovation and technology between Snap and Amazon, we are unlocking exciting and fun new try-on experiences for hundreds of millions of Snapchatters. AR eyewear is just the first step in our partnership, and we can't wait to continue our innovation together” said Ben Schwerin, SVP of Partnerships, Snap Inc.

The future of AR

Over 30 percent of customers who are active on the metaverse have purchased real-world items there, according to research from McKinsey. There are many opportunities for retailers using Web3 technologies to create new offerings and devise new modes of customer engagement (eg, ecosystem loyalty programs and access to unique experiences), says McKinsey in a technology report released last year.