Snapchat Introduces Catalog-Powered Shopping Lenses; Simplifying AR Product Displays

Snapchat hopes to take its AR tools to the next level for e-commerce with the inclusion of new ‘Catalog-Powered Shopping Lenses’. This allows retailers to present a variety of products within a single Lens, giving users more virtual try-on options.

Snapchat has updated its Shopping Lenses user interface to make shopping on the app easier. Snapchat users may now shop for individual items within a single AR try-on experience. Product cards and descriptions are displayed in the Catalogue-powered Shopping Lenses to give Snapchat users an immediate preview of the product specifics.

Snapchat’s Catalog Powered Shopping Lenses

Snapchat users’ faces, bodies, and surroundings are all nicely outlined by these Lenses. The AR items are automatically tailored to the user’s preferences. Watches, shoes, and clothing are examples of these items. According to Snapchat, up to 93 percent of users are interested in using augmented reality (AR) technology for purchasing.

Snap’s Catalog Lenses, as the name implies, will be directly linked to a company’s product catalogue, allowing for more capacity for increased product presentation in each campaign and allowing Snap to provide direct, product-aligned feedback to brands in real-time. If you notice that one product is attracting more attention than another, for example, you can use that information to influence future promotions or to inspire your trials to see what outcomes you obtain.

Snap gains additional insight into what products each individual user is interested in as a result of the same procedure, which will aid its own ad targeting technologies and improve campaign performance.

Businesses can view their items’ engagement data to discover about which products are popular on Snapchat down to the SKU level. On an SKU level, clients will have access to data on variations in time spent, shares, and clicks. Brands can use this information to establish target strategies and early product development.

Snapchat’s Revamped AR Shopping Lenses

“Augmented reality is revolutionizing how we shop, play, and learn, as well as how industries tell stories and sell their products. Our redesigned AR Shopping Lenses will provide a more engaging experience for our Snapchat audience, as well as a faster and easier way for businesses to create Lenses “, stated Snap’s Chief Business Officer Jeremi Gorman.

Lenses have benefited from the company’s continuing investment in self-service creation tools. Businesses can now use the Lens Studio to obtain Catalogue-powered Shopping Lenses. Through the Lens Web Builder, marketers can quickly construct a Catalogue-powered Shopping Lens. Users can add AR Assets, such as 3D models or textures, to their existing product catalogue with just a few clicks using the Supplemental Feeds option.

While there is clearly value in AR promotions, with 71 percent of Snap users regularly engaging with the company’s AR tools and over 100 million consumers already shopping with AR, a major stumbling block for many brands right now is the time and resources required to create an AR experience, which effectively limits AR to big brands.

However, if Snap can democratize the process by making it easier for all brands to join, it may be very appealing to many retailers, and Snap’s ad alternatives could benefit greatly from the increased attention.