At the recent Snap Partner Summit, Snap announced a series of new updates to Snapchat, promising to take the super-popular social media platform in bold new directions, including some new AR tools that could have a significant impact on future shopping.
At the meeting, Snap said it would introduce a new feature called "Dress Up," which is now available in Lens Explorer (soon in the AR Bar), where users can experience AR shopping filters and virtually try on various outfits and accessories. There is also a new shopping section in the user profile where users can revisit favorites, products that have recently been viewed or added to the cart. According to Snap, any filter uploaded to the company's brand profile can be used in Dress Up.
Then there's the camera kit for AR shopping, and with this simple SDK, retailers and brands can bring Snap's AR shopping experience to their own platforms, allowing customers to try on different outfits and accessories from any app, and the camera kit for AR shopping is compatible with iOS and Android devices as well as traditional websites.
In addition to the tools mentioned above, Snap has released a new 3D asset manager designed to simplify the AR shopping experience for retailers and brands. This web content management platform makes it easy for businesses to request, approve, and optimize 3D models for their actual products.
Snapt's AR image processing technology further supports this new platform, which uses a deep learning module to convert standard 2D images into 3D models that can be viewed in AR. Partners simply upload photos of their products and the system takes care of all the heavy lifting.
Once processed, all they have to do is choose from a variety of pre-built templates through a basic web interface. Users can then try on different outfits by simply taking selfies, at which point digital clothing and accessories are automatically projected onto their bodies.
Located in Lens Web Builder, these AR shopping templates allow businesses to create their own shopping filters for Snapchat with little knowledge of the AR development process. In addition, the company has introduced support for "surface" objects such as furniture, handbags, and other items placed on the floor or countertop. The AR Shopping Template is now in beta for use by select partners.
According to Snap, more than 250 million Snapchatters have interacted with more than 5 billion AR shopping filters since January 2021. With demand for these next-generation shopping experiences at an all-time high, Snap is quickly establishing itself as a platform that provides more experiences for tech-savvy shoppers.
Snap really cares about the creators and developers of filters, and Snap encourages people to create complementary products/apps related to Snapchat to generate additional revenue for themselves. In the process of pursuing the metaverse, Snap is a laughing stock in the social platform or grasps the future trend, and everyone has a different answer in their hearts.