Snap is holding its annual Lens Fest occasion at this time, the place it’s already supplied a variety of recent insights into key AR advances, and the way Snapchat is aligning with the subsequent digital connectivity shift.
Snap has additionally shared a variety of recent AR utilization stats and notes on the occasion. You’ll have the ability to tune into all of the Lens Fest classes on-demand right here, however on this put up, we’ll check out among the key bulletins and updates.
First off, Snap says that using AR for purchasing can also be on the rise, with greater than 250 million Snapchatters participating with AR purchasing Lenses since January 2021.
Commerce is a key space of alternative for Snap, and with individuals more and more trying in direction of digital items, Snap’s additionally seeking to merge in new choices, like shopping for digital clothes to your Bitmoji avatar, which may kickstart an all new cost ecosystem inside its app.
And this can kind one other factor – Snap’s introduced a brand new AR experiment which can see a small group of creators and builders engaged on new Lenses that can embrace paid add-on components, like different presentation codecs and digital enhancements.
For instance, with the primary Lens above – Potato Lens creator Phillip Walton says that customers have requested for methods to boost or improve the Lens with alternate variations. Now, beneath Snap’s new initiative, Walton can cost customers Snap Tokens to offer new outfits, so you possibly can flip the potato right into a police officer, a magician and extra, whereas additionally funding new innovation and improvement.
That may appear ridiculous to some – why would somebody pay for a brand new outfit for a digital potato? However with 250 million customers participating with Snap’s AR components daily, there shall be some inside that who shall be eager to pay for AR enhancements and further options.
Get these additions proper, and it could possibly be an enormous winner – and if Snap can get extra customers spending extra Snap Tokens, that shall be one other step in direction of constructing an extra income stream, each for creators and Snap itself.
Snapchat has additionally reported that its broader AR ecosystem is increasing, with over 300,000 AR creators and builders collaborating, contributing to greater than 3 million AR Lenses by way of its creation instruments.
That’s facilitating all new enterprise alternatives – for instance, Snap says that LA-based AR studio Paper Triangles generated near $4 million in 2021 alone by constructing Lenses for manufacturers like Sephora and Crocs. Snap additionally notes that varied massive manufacturers are actually seeking to rent AR expertise.
That is more and more going to be an space of demand. As Meta appears to usher within the metaverse, and extra immersive digital environments turn out to be a extra widespread factor of how we work together, each platform goes to wish builders, and inventive minds that may formulate attention-grabbing, participating AR and VR experiences.
AR instruments are one other step in direction of this, whereas the event of AR glasses may also facilitate all new connective use circumstances with extra immersive digital experiences.
On that entrance, Snap didn’t actually share something new about its AR Spectacles, but it surely did notice that:
“Over the previous two years, a whole lot of builders from 30 nations have experimented with our AR Spectacles, constructing a whole lot of Lenses proper in Lens Studio – from studying to learn music to saying what constellation you wish to see.”
Snap is actively engaged on AR Spectacles, although they continue to be a approach off, however experiments like this spotlight the chances, and what you possibly can count on to see from Snap within the close to future.
As a way to preserve fueling its AR improvement, Snap has additionally introduced a brand new ‘Lensathon’ occasion, which can see creators compete for a $200K prize pool. The occasion shall be open from now till January thirty first, and can encourage AR creators to ‘push what’s attainable in AR’.
It’s attention-grabbing to notice the varied AR improvements and advances we’re seeing, and what they could imply for the way forward for connectivity. Snap has made AR a spotlight because of this, and it stays a frontrunner within the AR area, regardless of having considerably fewer assets than its a lot bigger rivals.
The subsequent query, a minimum of on the AR entrance, is when will AR glasses arrive? Which nobody appears to know for positive, however they’re coming, and after they do, I’d wager that Snap’s AR choices for AR gadgets shall be considerably higher than what’s supplied by others within the area, be it Apple or Meta, or another person.
Snap is aware of tradition, it is aware of artwork, and it is aware of tips on how to work with creators to facilitate next-level experiences within the area.
That may maintain Snap in good stead, and will see it turn out to be a key platform for the subsequent stage.
