Yesterday (April 28, 2022), Snap Inc. held its annual Snap Partner Summit (SPS). Among the many announcements made at the streaming event were next-generation glasses with handheld monitoring software. a new version of Lens Studio. Remote storage of large AR data developers. a new Director function. and a pocket-sized drone called the Pixy. The campaign met, via video call, Carolina Arguelles Navas, head of Snap AR business strategy, who gave a keynote address at the augmented reality (AR) event. Discuss what was announced and what is coming. Navas says shopping is important for Snap. “We are really focused on trade,” he told the Campaign. “The reason we are is because not only does it play a huge role in everyone’s daily lives, but we believe there is a lot of friction in the trade that the camera is uniquely positioned to solve.” He promises that there will be a “renewed focus” on the trade during the year. As of January 2021, more than 250 million Snapchat users have been using AR shopping lenses more than 5 billion times, Snap says. Their lenses allow them to try and visualize products from brands and retailers around the world. Snap has doubled its camera size in recent years, recognizing itself as a camera company, and is particularly focused on AR. Some of this technology has its roots in Ukraine, which added an air of authentic connection that is often missing from the “Pray for the Less Lucky” speeches when Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel spoke about the ongoing war. “Today we dedicate the Snap Partner Summit to our team members in Ukraine,” he told his virtual audience. “Ukraine is the birthplace of Looksery, the company that laid the foundations for our augmented reality platform.” He continued: “The products and services we share with you today would not have been possible without the creativity and ingenuity of the members of our Ukrainian team and our hearts have been broken by the war that cost so many innocent lives. “We pray for peace in Ukraine.” Navas identifies three general themes of the announcements made at SPS: the launch of enhanced technologies. more content. and discovery. Improved technology includes ray tracking, which reduces the unnatural, “Uncanny Valley” effect of light that appears to be reflected by rendered objects in an unrealistic way. “Radiation detection really affects the lighting, shadows and reflections you see on the camera,” says Navas. “It’s usually a technology used for things like games or movies, which you use huge computers to edit. Thus, our ability to transfer it to mobile devices will change the game in terms of realism for things like jewelry [ Tiffany & Co is already using it to render realistic pieces, and a brooch from that brand was showcased during the keynote], or the material you see on the bags or the reflections on a pair of sunglasses. It is not just the realism of the object. It’s actually the way this object interacts with the world that makes it look real or fake. “ Other pieces of technology include improvements in body tracking, global tracking, and global scale. “This means that when things overlap in your body, there is more accurate monitoring,” says Navas. “It means that when you look at things in the world, they are accurate in scale. So if you are looking for a $ 1,200 bag, you know if it is that big [small] or so big [large]and that’s a really important difference to be aware of. “ These developments will have practical implications for traders. “This kind of technology undermines consumer confidence in the market,” says Navas. “By increasing customer confidence, you can really increase conversions. And, most importantly for the business, you are reducing returns. And that is a very important thing. “ The second package from SPS, says Navas, is about content. New tools will allow retailers to use the 2D catalog images they already have to create 3D versions of the items they sell. “We will reduce from a creation period of eight to 12 weeks in minutes,” says Navas. He adds: “We only take one photo from a retailer they already have on their e-commerce site and turn it into an asset that can be used directly in a trial experience. “Completely eliminating the need to create a 3D model is something that changes the game for vertical companies like clothing.” In terms of discovery, Snap introduces a “Dress Up” tab. Navas explains: “It’s the center where Snapchatters will know where to go to find all this content. For businesses, all they have to do is create the experience and publish it for free on their organic public profile on Snap. We will show it automatically in this tab. “ Another free service released by Snap is the Camera Kit for Shopping. This will allow brands to use Snap AR to build testing experiences on the branding applications themselves and, ultimately, on their websites. They will not need to direct their customers to Snapchat. However, Navas does not see it as helping brands compete with the app. “It’s about our ability to power cameras everywhere, because we think the camera is the next computer interface we really want to help give more people the tools to be able to create more AR,” he says. “It’s the opportunity to really help improve our lives in so many different ways.” AR in retail is not just about online experiences. “I think a lot of people think that AR and virtual testing are just about the home experience. “This is not entirely true,” said Navas. “AR is so powerful in the store experience.” He gives the example of beauty products, where after Covid, people may be reluctant to try the same natural samples that other buyers have touched, but still want to go to a store where “seeing the packaging and having a partner to help very important for the beauty buying process “. “The store is not going anywhere,” he says. He gives other examples of the collaboration between Nike and Roblox for a store in New York, where they installed a “mirror” AR. And with the recently released Location Cloud Services, stores can be made interactive with the Snap app in ways not available before. “The in-store experience is really ripe for innovation with AR,” says Navas. “We are really excited about this opportunity as well.” When pushed into what she can’t wait to see announced in future SPS reruns, Navas says: “What I’m excited about in the coming years is seeing so many different types of partners thinking about really innovative AR applications for very specific things that are not we would never think of Snap. “ He says: “We do not try to invent all cases of use. we want to invent tools “.
