By Jalaja Ramanunni
Snapchat will continue to explore AR in retail this Ramandan with Snap AR Ramadan Mall. Brands that will participate in the Snap AR Ramadan Mall this year include Ounass, Bath & Body Works, American Eagle, Eyewa, NiceOneSA, Faces, Max Fashion, Toyota and Nestle.
Snapchatters will have access to the mall through the carousel as well as on the organic lens explorer where a personalised tile alongside a collection of nine lenses will be displayed throughout the month of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, people tend to consume more content on mobile – whether it is seasonal shows, messages from friends and family or shopping inspiration.
With Snap AR Ramadan Mall, consumers will have an immersive shopping experience using Snapchat World Lens. World Lenses are Snap’s live filters for just about anything and it adds AR elements to any scene you can capture with your camera. With the lens, shoppers could browse virtual stores of participating brands, view and explore and purchase products on each brand’s e-commerce site.
Mohammed Bouarib, Senior Creative Strategist for Snap Inc. MENA, commented, “Globally, 250 million people already engage with AR on Snapchat every day and an average of 80 percent of consumers in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE expect and desire to use AR as a practical tool in their everyday lives. The consumer journey in the AR mall demonstrates both the engagement potential of such experiences and the tangible business value to commerce players today. This region is wholly embracing the opportunities of AR and its utility in verticals like retail.”
He added that 85 percent of daily Snapchatters in MENA interact with lenses every day. AR is transforming the shopping experience and unlocking previously unimaginable creative possibilities. Bouarib continued, “Brands can now connect with their consumers in an immersive way, showcase their products and bring their customers to visit their virtual stores without leaving the comfort of their home. The AR mall is a prime example of how friends can share and drive advocacy for the brands they love, creating a joyful experience for all. Ultimately, AR technology can create positive customer sentiment and increase purchase intent.”
Last year, Snapchat created its first mobile augmented reality (AR)-powered virtual mall which enabled customers to have a 3-dimensional experience when they browsed their favorite products. The Snap Ramadan Mall featured brands such as L’Oreal, IKEA, Namshi and Samsung. The Snap AR Ramadan Mall campaign reached nine million users and generated 85 million impressions. 4 of 6 brands in the mall delivered +8 purchase points (pp) in action intent through the virtual experience. In the UAE alone, 78 per cent of people took action during or after their mall experience. Reflecting on the experience last year, L’Oreal shared, “In a heavy advertising period during Ramadan, Snap Ramadan Mall helped four of our brands break through the clutter by replicating a life-like shopping experience to engage with our consumers leveraging augmented reality. It showed us that consumers are eager for such disruptive experiences, paving the way for a new era of commerce”.
