Dior Launches AR Lens with Snapchat

Six styles of the luxury brand's B27 sneaker can be purchased directly within Snapchat.

Need to Know

  • The luxury brand is inviting Snapchat users to “try on” its B27 sneaker using an augmented reality lens.
  • Six styles of the Dior sneaker, which retail for between $990 and $1,100, can also be purchased directly within the Snapchat app.
  • The AR integration follows similar partnerships with Snapchat from Dior, including AR lenses to mark the brand’s collaboration with Rimowa in 2019.

Analysis

Dior has become the latest apparel brand to partner with Snapchat, revealing an integration with the messaging app this week that uses augmented reality to let users “try on” a new sneaker from the brand.

Using Snapchat, Dior has made it possible for users to virtually try on its new B27 sneaker, which it unveiled earlier this week. The integration showcases six different styles of the B27 sneaker, which retail for between $990 and $1,100. Users can try the sneakers on in AR, and if they like what they see, the shoe can be purchased directly within Snapchat. The experience not only serves to replace the in-store try-on experience but makes the Dior shoe more accessible to customers who would otherwise be unable to find the B27 in nearby stores.

A look at Dior’s virtual Snapchat try-on feature.

The AR campaign to promote the B27 sneaker is not the first time Dior has partnered with Snapchat. In 2019, the luxury retailer released a series of filters to promote its partnership with luggage retailer Rimowa. That AR integration was purely promotional, however, and was not shoppable from directly within Snapchat.

Snapchat has partnered with a number of brands to offer AR try-on tech, including Clearly, Essie, Kohl’s, Levi’s, Jordan Brand and Sally Hansen. According to the company, more than 180 million of Snapchat’s 249 million users engage with AR every day.

Dior is just the latest brand to use AR technology to promote its apparel, as in-store shopping has declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and e-commerce continues to skyrocket: In total, U.S. consumers spent 14 billion hours shopping online as of September of this year. In July, Gucci launched an AR try-on lens, also with Snapchat, for four of its footwear styles; in June, L’Oreal partnered with Toronto company Modiface to bring AR tech to its product line, allowing users to virtually “try on” color cosmetics from home.

The use of AR tech has gone beyond virtual try-on, as well. Amazon, for instance, launched a new tool called Room Decorator in August, which allows online shoppers to see house decor and housewares in their own homes. Etsy launched a similar tool for its iOS app enabling users to see how artworks sold on the website would look on their walls in June.