I Shopped At Snapchat’s Augmented Reality Store

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But now, Snapchat has introduced a new function to its AR filters — shoppable lenses that let you “try on” items from different brands from home and buy them right in the app. So I went on a little augmented reality shopping spree.

The app is not exactly the most intuitive to use (products aren’t in one centralized place), but it works the way most social media filters do. Individual brands have created filters for specific items, so you need to search for the items and you can then hold up your phone and try them on as if you were in the store. The brands are huge ones you might look at IRL, like jackets from The North Face, handbags from Prada and Ralph Lauren, shoes from Lululemon and Puma, makeup at Ulta and MAC, and sunglasses from retailers like Zenni. 

“I guess I would use that feature if I was interested in buying something, but I wouldn’t base my purchase on it,” Paige told me. “It was nice seeing how big a bag is because that’s always hard to tell on a website. But for shoes, I don’t really need that feature, and not for a jacket either.”

If you’re an avid online shopper, some of these filters might be helpful to look at sizing and seeing the general fit before you hit checkout. But many of the garment filters seem to work best for smaller-sized people and might only be useful for a very select segment of the audience. 

On the upside, you can shop with your mug of coffee right from home, and you don’t get that weird, aching mall fatigue from shopping in person.