One App, Double the Experience
Brands are also using AR and 3D scanning technology in apps to intertwine the in-store and e-commerce experiences. These apps literally put the shopping experience in our hands.
Saks Fifth Ave shoppers can view RPR’s virtual clothing configurator using smart glasses or a phone. Customers can visit the virtual clothing rack in-store or at home. The store’s AR experience also makes recommendations about related clothing and accessories.​
Lacoste, a French luxury sportswear brand, created the LCST Lacoste AR mobile app in collaboration with Engine Creative to help customers virtually try on shoes. You can also use the app to engage with window displays, in-store signage, and promotional postcards through AR experiences. With this app, Lacoste aimed to reach a younger generation of consumers by using language like “the urban-savvy younger brother of Lacoste” when promoting the LCST shoe model as well. More than 30,000 users engaged with 3D products while using the app.
American Apparel used similar strategies as Lacoste to increase engagement with in-store signage and displays through a mobile app-driven experience. You can open the app and scan a picture of the signage to access product details including customer reviews, color variants, and pricing
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In May 2020, retailer Kohl’s and Snapchat created the Kohl’s AR Virtual Closet. Consumers can step inside an AR dressing room, pick a mix of items, and purchase items using a smartphone and the Snapchat app without having to exit the Snapchat app. The partnership helped Kohl’s deepen relationships with the younger generations of consumers because the platform reaches more than 75 percent of 13-to-34-year-olds. The app’s active users also interact with AR approximately 30 times per day.
Levi’s is complementing its AR retail strategy with digital tools like Squad, a co-watching video app where friends can shop together. The brand wanted to recreate the social shopping experience people miss and were craving amid the pandemic.
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The progressive and innovative luxury brand Gucci developed an AR feature on the brand’s iOS app with Wannaby, a Belarus-based startup that specializes in retail applications of AR technology. The feature lets shoppers virtually try on the Italian luxury brand's line of Ace sneakers. You point your smartphone downward and choose a shoe style to see a digital image of your chosen sneakers overlaid on your feet. The ability of the app to track foot movement allows us to see the shoes from different angles. From a marketing and public relations perspective, a key feature is the ability to share a snapshot of the virtual shoes on social media and the ability to directly purchase the real sneakers from Gucci’s e-commerce site. GOAT created a similar AR experience.
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