Social Shopping Is The New Normal
By 2027, worldwide social commerce sales are set to reach over $600 billion
Social media platforms are making moves to embed the entire shopping journey — from discovery to checkout — into their core user experiences with functionality ranging from Livestream sales and integrated product catalogs to augmented reality try-on.
Social media giants from Facebook and Instagram to YouTube and Snap Inc. invest heavily in shopping features and take advantage of new functionalities.
74% of consumers say that they are now more influenced to shop via social media than they were before the pandemic, and 70% cite clothing as one of the product categories they shop for most on social media
-Mckinsey State of Fashion 2022
As social platforms are increasingly augmented with advanced technology, social media is fast becoming a preferred way of shopping and interacting with brands. Fashion is the largest single category sold via social media in the US, as well as the leading category for livestream events, suggesting that brands will find consumers willing to shop on these channels.
200 million Snapchat users interact with AR in the app every day.
-According to Snap Inc
To connect brands with consumers, global social media giants are doubling down on developing in-app shopping experiences. Snapchat is applying its augmented reality capabilities to enable users to virtually try on clothes and accessories from brands such as Prada and Piaget, and TikTok has been expanding commerce partnerships and functionality, testing livestreamed shopping with select brands.
Big tech platforms at large are courting fashion and beauty brands and investing in digital shopping tools as a way to keep users engaged and increase revenue streams amid a broad pivot to online shopping. Virtual try-on specifically has been a significant and largely elusive goal for e-commerce, and while it’s still relatively early days, owning this skill provides Snap a competitive advantage, according to analysts.
Snapchat is a game changer
Matthew Drinkwater, the head of the London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency says, “Social and virtual shopping are about to get a lot more realistic,”
Snap invested in AR and virtual try-ons this year when it acquired UK-based AR research lab Ariel AI in January for an undisclosed sum and Berlin-based fit tech startup Fit Analytics in March for $124 million. Drinkwater sees these acquisitions as a “clear indication” of the company’s direction.
Snap Inc. is adding more virtual try-on and AR shopping features as it races to lure fashion and beauty brands selling online away from Instagram and Facebook.
Snapchat users will now be able to try on clothing, glasses, purses and bracelets virtually with upgraded technology that detects and responds to body movements and facial dimensions. Other new tools include voice- and gesture-controlled filters (called Lenses), brand shops and product catalogue integrations, virtual stores and the ability for users to search for and shop images or items seen in real life. Farfetch, Prada and Piaget are among early adopters of the new tools.
“We’re harnessing a different type of power when it comes to shopping [and] when it comes to retail, unlocking a whole new range of experiences for Snapchatters and people on the app to engage with products. Everyone gets to try on a variety of different products from makeup to shoes to sunglasses to jewellery, and there’s way more that’s coming down the pipeline. We are investing heavily in it because we know that brands are looking to, in a way, future-proof their businesses.”
-Says Rajni Jacques, the Global Head of Fashion & Beauty Partnership, Snap Inc.
How are they doing this?
This takes advantage of new technologies including 3D Body Mesh, which maps the body and joints; cloth simulation, which helps clothes respond as if affected by gravity; and voice-enabled controls, which let people try on pieces without stepping back and forth between their smartphone, using 40 different voice commands. The tool pulls from existing product descriptions and aims to best match users’ words to items from the available product catalogue.
Prada is also trying hands-free try-on using a new tool that detects hand gestures. People can set down their phone, step away, and see how various Prada purses would look on them by using a “swiping” hand gesture to change the colours.
The mind map behind this
With these features, brands can for the first time create permanent profiles that include all their branded filters, content and shoppable product catalogues. Such improved shopping templates enable brands to quickly create AR shopping lenses by uploading product catalogues and 3D product assets, meaning they also disappear when a product is no longer available.
There will also be a feature where shoppers can browse and buy, and a tool that lets users scan a real-life outfit or upload an image to generate shopping recommendations from integrated catalogues. Virtual hang out spaces for multiple users, can be turned into virtual stores, where users can dress a virtual mannequin, see where the other person is in the store and buy physical items within the space.
When it comes to fashion, one has to truly give an experience that someone hasn’t seen before, or have to give an experience where they feel like there is an emotional connection to what you’re giving them.
