American Eagle creates AR shoppable jeans guide for Snapchat

Dive Brief:

As part of American Eagle's Spring 2021 Jeans Are Forever campaign, the retailer will debut its AE x Snapchat AR Jeans Guide, which allows users to view jeans in augmented reality, the company announced on Thursday.
The guide's multi-URL 3D shoppable jeans lenses let users view different types of 3D American Eagle jeans in AR by using the back camera, the company said. The feature includes a "range of fashion denim" for men and women.
When users virtually turn a pair of jeans, they can see specific fits, washes, unique details and styling advice, as well as click to buy.

Dive Insight:

American Eagle's collaboration with Snapchat comes as the brand tries to find its footing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though American Eagle Outfitters' revenue dipped by 3% during the third quarter last year, Aerie, its lingerie brand, has brought in customers seeking cozy clothing. But at a time when in-store shopping is down, American Eagle said it might close as many as 225 stores by 2023 to reach profitable growth.

The rollout of a shoppable lens through Snapchat comes as retail more broadly has begun to embrace social commerce. Popular platforms like Instagram and Pinterest have been focused on creating features to ease the shopping process through social, including adding shoppable components to livestreams and videos, as well as photos. Buzzy social platform TikTok, which has grown in popularity in recent years, in August debuted its first shoppable livestream.

Retailers and brands are seeing the benefit in the opportunity as well. Beauty retailer Sephora in June joined Instagram Checkout, following the platform's initial pilot with brand partners like Nike and Adidas. That particular feature has seen a wide range of brands sign on, including Target and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Snapchat has also been teaming up with companies seeking to harness its shoppable and augmented reality capabilities. Last June, Snapchat began hosting its first shoppable show, "The Drop," which highlights streetwear collaborations with celebrities and designers. The social network also partnered with Perfect Corp. in December to add augmented reality cosmetic testing features into the app.