To date, over 250 million Snapchat users have engaged with AR shopping lenses, more than 5 billion times.

Evidently, there is a growing interest in these AR experiences, particularly among the more technologically-savvy millennial and Gen Z demographics.

For shoppers craving personalisation and convenience, virtually trying on items such as clothing, accessories and make-up can be an ideal solution and with the help of these shopping lenses, the universal experience of ordering and returning ill-fitting clothes could be a thing of a past.

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Snapchat has fully recognised the potential of AR shopping lenses, for brands and consumers alike.

Charged attended the Snap AR fashion and beauty brunch, held at Noho Studios, London on July 14, to check out Snapchat’s latest AR innovations for fashion and beauty retailers…

The event hosted a variety of interactive demos, allowing attendees to test out the technology for themselves. Participating brands included Dior, Prada, Mac and more.

Using Snapchat lenses, Charged tried lots of different AR looks, from handbags and eyeshadow, to puffer jackets and luxury watches.

The virtual clothing items had a real fluidity and adapted well to the person’s gestures and movements. In particular, the Prada handbag lens looked very realistic and you got a real sense of how the bag hangs on the body.

Snapchat also showcased several AR shopping lenses from beauty brands, including MAC, Estée Lauder, L’Oreal and YSL.

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One of the standouts was MAC’s powder kiss eye lens, which lets users sample five shades of the brand’s popular matte eyeshadows.

The colours were instantly vibrant on the eyelids and it was easy to whittle down a favourite shade by quickly flicking through the options.

To complete the experience and test the lens, a Mac make-up artist was on hand to apply the IRL eyeshadow. There was virtually no difference between the Snapchat filter and physical eyeshadow, making the lens a useful tool to trial the products before making a purchase.

By enhancing its AR offering, Snapchat is making it easier for retailers and consumers to connect and “putting the power of shopping into the hands of the Snapchatter,” Snap UK head of retail Claudine Clark said at the event.

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To showcase their products through the app, brands pay for a space in the Snapchat carousel and can choose how long they stay there.

AR shopping lenses offer consumers a way to seamlessly interact with, try on and purchase products. In a post-pandemic landscape, many consumers are leaning away from the high street towards more personalised and interactive online shopping experiences.

By investing in AR lenses, Snapchat is preparing for the changes in consumer behaviour, while establishing and strengthening its partnerships with major brands.

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