Want to up your mobile advertising game?
Facebook announced last week that it would begin offering augmented reality ads on its platform. This new offering will allow consumers to use their mobile phone cameras to try on products before buying them.
Consumers are warming up to the idea of AR to help inform their purchase decisions. Some 80% of consumers said they would use this technology to design a room or physical space, according to research from L.E.K. Consulting. And 70% said they would use it to try on clothes or accessories.
Facebook has already tested augmented reality ads with Michael Kors, and will be testing in the coming months with brands such as Sephora, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, NYX Professional Makeup, Pottery Barn, and Wayfair.
The platform will initially offer this ad product to advertisers in the fashion accessories, cosmetics, furniture, gaming, and entertainment industries. Plans to roll out AR ads to other industries will come later this year.
Need some inspo before you delve into augmented reality? Check out how several retailers have been employing AR.
1. Beauty: bareMinerals creates custom products.
Cosmetics brand bareMinerals launched its MADE-2-FIT app last year, which scans users’ skin tones to help them create their own custom foundation makeup. With more than 3,000 ratings in the App Store, fans continue to express how delighted they are with the ability to create their own personalized makeup. Foundation is typically a challenging product to buy online, and users have noted that this scanning technology is a solid solution.
2. Beauty: Benefit Cosmetics transforms faces.
It seems like a new eyebrow trend pops up every week, but trying on different looks is no easy task. Benefit Cosmetics created a virtual “try on” tool to help people see what they’d look like with new brows. With Brow Try-On, users can experience the power of transformation before making a major commitment.
3. Beauty: L’Oreal gives fans instant makeovers.
Augmented reality is becoming such a force in the beauty space that L’Oreal acquired beauty tech company Modiface. L’Oreal previously worked with Modiface to create the MakeupGenius app, which gives users instant makeovers using L’Oreal products. The idea behind this app was to save people time from going to stores and spending hours trying on different looks.
4. Furniture: Target makes furniture shopping easy.
Buying furniture can be a daunting experience – regardless if it’s done online or in-store. To ease the process, Target launched See It In Your Space, an augmented reality experience on its mobile site. Using photos of actual rooms in their home, users can place three-dimensional versions of Target products around their spaces. This experience was designed to remove the challenge of ordering furniture only to discover it doesn’t work in a space.
5. Furniture: IKEA delivers a realistic view of home.
The IKEA Place app is IKEA’s augmented reality solution. The app includes true-to-scale models, which gives customers an accurate view of how new furniture will look in their homes.
6. Accessories: Warby Parker finds the best fit.
Eyeglasses retailer Warby Parker predominantly operates online – making augmented reality a great fit for the brand. To recommend glasses to shoppers, the Warby Parker app uses the iPhone X TrueDepth camera to take maps of people’s faces and find the best fit.
Get creative with augmented reality ads
The opportunities to elevate consumers’ shopping experiences with AR are endless. It’s worth testing this new feature as Facebook continues to roll it out. Want early access to augmented reality ads to see if they move the needle on your sales? As a Facebook Marketing Partner, StitcherAds is able to get clients into alpha tests. And with our online and in-store reporting capabilities, we’ll help you measure the impact of your investment – allowing you to make better marketing decisions.
