In a series of updates, Snap’s new retail-oriented features have shown how its fashion ambitions are evolving. The company unveiled more sophisticated virtual fashion tests, while lowering the technical bar, so that any brand can go to AR-based markets. To accelerate the discovery, the platform also created a new “Dress Up” destination, so that users have a place to see new looks and products or get inspired. He also seemed to offer his view on transformational fashion, turning Bitmojis into a virtual style platform. Thanks to Forma image processing technology, the developer has unveiled a feature that can convert 2D directory images to 3D AR elements, along with AR shopping templates for easier lens creation over the web. In essence, this means that brands can move from product image to Snapchat AR Lens with much less fuss. There is even a new 3D data manager to confuse all this content. The platform was already capable of fashion testing for some items, but is pushing the script from entertainment to conversion area now. Not only did Snap’s R&D team work to make the graphics more sophisticated and realistic, but the company’s acquisition of Fit Analytics in April 2021 also paid off in this variety of editions, bringing size forecasting technology to the table. By taking a selfie, shoppers can try on fancy clothes and perhaps have a reasonable expectation that they might actually look like that. Features are not limited to Snapchat. The Camera Kit incorporates Snap software development tools that allow external developers to bring Snapchat lenses to other applications and websites. The kit itself has evolved to become even more retail friendly. “What we’re launching this year are specific improvements to the previous camera kit that was specifically tailored for retail use,” Carolina Arguelles, head of AR global product strategy for Snap, told WWD. “We got our original Camera SDK, which says that whatever capabilities we have in Lens Studio, any AR creation tools in this version can be used with the Camera Kit. which integrate directly into [brands’] commercial return. ” The result, he explained, is that the actual integration between Snap and the brand application or the distribution of content on their product detail pages becomes more seamless. “This is a specific upgrade to the Camera Kit SDK and is really only for retailers.” Snap has revealed that Puma is the brand’s first global partner to use the new camera kit, allowing shoppers to try out Puma sneakers digitally. The announcements are part of a “dual approach to trying to resolve the clothing test opportunity,” Arguelles added. As he revealed last year, Snap is also working with fabric and body mesh or body tracking technology to make digital fabrics and their physics more realistic against how the body moves. “When you think of clothing testing, even last year, it was the biggest opportunity, because it’s the biggest category for the trade,” he continued. “But it is also what suffers from the highest rate of return. “It’s what was difficult – the most difficult to try; δημιουργία creating assets is very difficult if you create a three-dimensional item for clothes, for performance and you are not realistic.” Since last year, the company has invested in different technologies to encourage garment testing in two ways: One is through its work in fabric simulation and the body grid, which, he said, is making huge profits as it increasingly concerns physics. likes gravity and improves the body’s monitoring abilities. The other is to eliminate the need for retailers to fully engage with the 3D model, as the new image editing feature uses standard product photography. For shoppers, Snap has created a Dress Up hub “bringing together the best AR fashion experiences and testing by creators, retailers and fashion brands all in one place,” a Snap spokesman said. Dress Up is the first exclusive site created specifically for fashion experiences and shopping on Snapchat. This could help to separate the category from the firehose of other AR content and markets on the platform. More than 250 million users have used AR lenses to shop more than 5 billion times, according to the company, which added that AR lenses convert far more consumers than standard ads. But Snap’s fashion push goes beyond real-world product shopping and avatars. Six years ago, when the company acquired the Bitmoji avatar company, the fashion industry had not yet heard of metaverse or traded in virtual fashion or NFT. Now, after creating more than 1 billion Bitmoji, the company is upgrading avatars and turning them into a fashion platform. The update brings 3D drawings and a range of poses, gestures and backgrounds – more than 1,200 of them – in full body mode. The graphics are made of cartoon to be proud of the quality of the “Pixar” level. As a fashion platform, partners will be able to launch limited edition fashion items for Bitmoji as Snapchatters exclusives. The move resembles the Snap variant of the virtual fashion movement that is spreading across the industry, and when asked if Bitmojis could one day delve into NFTs, Arguelles was wary. “There is nothing to share right now,” she replied. “It’s not this particular launch. But I think we are really excited about the future of the digital space in general. “There are obviously a lot of NFT conversations going on in the world right now and we have some of the top platforms that people have been talking about – like DressX and Rtfkt have actually been longtime Lens Studio users as well.” Other announcements have focused on the Snap developer community and other features, including a “private accessory system” for Minis or additional bite-sized add-ons by third-party developers such as Poshmark. The system allows brands to add more social experiences, such as ratings, reviews and suggestions, but are designed to protect users’ privacy. But for Arguelles, market announcements feel like a full-blown moment that underscores the company’s vision from day one, which is to become a camera company. As if to emphasize this even more, Snap left another revelation: A new pocket-sized flying camera called the Pixy, which apparently aims to take selfies to new heights. “I believe that our approach to the first camera from Day One really prepares us for the future we have always been intentional for,” Arguelles added. I think people are finally realizing that when we say ‘we’re a camera company’, it makes sense for everyone now. “But for us, that was the vision we always built on.”
