When Snap introduced branded lenses in 2017, few would have expected the platform to become one of the most dominant names in augmented reality (AR). Five years and over 300 million users later, Snap has seen more than one trillion lens views, with 71% of its users engaging with AR on a daily basis. With a highly engaged audience and a focus on expanding and enhancing the user experience, Snap has been a driving force behind AR’s increasing visibility in marketing and its recognition as a viable tool in ecommerce.
It should come as no surprise then, that when the world’s largest ecommerce player wanted to pursue AR enabled shopping, they turned to the team with unquestionable expertise and a portfolio of some of the most engaging activations the market has seen.
The backend of AR is complex, specific, and challenging, requiring time, effort, and an aggressive learning curve to deliver an experience that meets or exceeds expectations. Though AR for marketing and ecommerce is early in adoption, a subpar experience is not acceptable to today’s critical consumers, and with the competition for time and attention, it is unwise for brands to settle for less than the status quo. Beyond the creation of the 3D models, AR experiences require a thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations that exist within the canvas, devices, and the user’s browser. The time and effort required to address these components represent a variety of opportunity costs firms must consider when determining what endeavors will drive the greatest return. Though AR has been proven to generate strong ROI for brands across verticals, including 94% higher conversions for merchants on Shopify, the reality is that many leaders see the perceived costs associated and feel they can not justify the effort.
The partnership between Amazon and Snap not only showcases the power and possibilities of AR enabled shopping, but highlights the importance of the knowledge and skill of the team behind the activation. Amazon is an ecommerce powerhouse, its expertise steeped in product data, fulfillment, and transactions. While other big names have tried and often faltered in expanding their expertise to include AR enabled experiences, Amazon has chosen to play to a partner’s strengths, leveraging the experience and capabilities of a platform that counts AR among its core competencies.
Snap has built, evolved, and refined the process and platform for engaging AR activations, including shoppable experiences. Campaigns for Ulta and MAC Cosmetics earlier this year drove $6 million in sales and 17x purchase lift respectively. Not only do they know how to bring the products Amazon is promoting to life in an interactive experience, they do so with lifelike realism. The time and effort required to develop an experience that properly leverages Amazon’s assets for an exceptional experience has already been spent, allowing Amazon to capitalize on existing infrastructure for their own benefit.
“It’s smart for Amazon to partner with Snap for eyewear because of the unique customer problem of fit. Snap’s facial tracking data gives them the ability to not just display glasses on a face but to accurately approximate size. For those of us who try on glasses online, this is a huge unlock to know how glasses will fit on our faces.”
-Patrice Hall, Director of Product, Dopple
Augmented reality is not a perfect fit for all product types, and Snap will not be the perfect partner for all brands, but the complementary nature of the partnership between Snap and Amazon lights the path for brands to leverage 3D and AR by choosing a partner with the tools and expertise to effectively and efficiently bring their products digital twins to life.
Choosing An AR Partner
The Dopple team brings a combined 15+ years of 3D and AR experience and expertise. Our agile approach and constant commitment to monitoring and improving the capabilities of immersive content allows us to create unforgettable experiences that drive meaningful results for our clients. We spend the time building, refining, and continually enhancing our 3D and augmented reality capabilities to be the catalyst for the brand and products brought to life through immersive content.
See how choosing the right AR partner is the key to turning your product’s digital twins into the most productive asset in your marketing arsenal.
