A rack of Adidas sneakers.
CREDIT: REX SHUTTERSTOCK
For years, augmented reality has been posited as the new frontier in retail innovation. The visual technology, which went mainstream in the industry around a decade ago, offers an array of benefits to businesses, whether in the form of product visualization, enhanced customer service or concept testing. (The smartphone game Pokémon Go that went viral in the summer of 2016 is one example.)
Now, an increasing number of brands and retailers are investing in immersive tech for customers who crave something more than the average shopping experience. From A to Z — that is, from Adidas to Zara — FN rounds up 10 fashion names that are moving toward an AR-enabled future.
1. Adidas
Two months ago, the German sportswear brand prereleased its Deerupt sneaker via AR before the shoe physically launched. Among the first to test the concept was ambassador Kendall Jenner, who shared on social media just how the technology works.
,
,
6. Lacoste
Following the launch of its LCST extension brand, the French apparel label partnered with UK-based Engine Creative in mid-2014 to produce an AR campaign that allowed customers to try on its trainers. Triggered by 3-D product scanning, the experience got shoppers to align their smartphones’ cameras with graphics located in Lacoste’s brick-and-mortar stores and view the shoes as if they were on their own feet. They could also click through to see more details, swipe to see more selections and make a purchase through the app itself.
7. Nike
A day before Pokémon Go broke through smartphones in the United States on July 5, 2016, Nike filed a patent for an augmented reality design system. Since then, the sportswear brand has become a big proponent of the technology, debuting in its Paris flagship that year a customization service that can transform the brand’s sneakers based on a user’s chosen color or texture combinations.
,
,
9. Uniqlo
Having expanded past its Japan headquarters, Uniqlo introduced its Magic Mirror service to coincide with the launch of its fifth retail spot in the United States. In October 2012, the casualwear brand offered its San Francisco shoppers the ability to see themselves in a full color range of its most popular jacket styles in the fall season without having to do a clothes swap. Using technology from Holition and Dai Nippon Printing Co., the AR experience was also linked to social media, so customers could share their looks directly from the store.
,
,
Want more?
How Augmented Reality and Virtual Experiences Will Change Shoe Shopping
Why Designers Are Using Virtual, Augmented Reality at Fashion Week
Source: FN