As AR tools continue to evolve, and move towards the next stage of consumer adoption and usage, they're also opening up new options for consumer/brand connection, and facilitating advanced, virtual product experiences that can help drive conversion, in totally new ways.

That's an important element for marketers to note, especially with the pandemic accelerating the eCommerce shift. Now, with more consumers looking to shop online than ever before, providing more ways to re-create the in-store experiences is key to maximizing sales performance.

And while AR tools are not able to entirely replicate touching and feeling a physical object just yet, they are moving towards that next level - and that means that your audience will increasingly be looking for more advanced experiences like this within their shopping journeys. 

To provide some more context on this, Snapchat recently published some new data on the benefits of AR tools for marketers, and how they're already helping drive conversion and buyer response.

As explained by Snap:

"As marketers continue to use AR to bring value to Snapchatters, we’re seeing that Product Experience Lenses, which allow Snapchatters to experience a product or service, drive strong campaign performance. In fact, campaigns that include Product Experience Lenses are twice as likely to drive statistically significant lifts in Action Intent compared to norms."

That's significant now, but may be even more so in the near future, as AR wearables come into the mix. Essentially, if you're not at least staying in touch with the latest advanced in AR connection, you may already be losing touch, with the next wave of AR adoption set to become a significant element in many outreach strategies.

Underlining this, Snapchat recently conducted an analysis of 10 in-app campaigns which utilized a Product Experience Lens, along with Snap Ads, to help drive online purchases.

"For each campaign, we observed different combinations of ad product exposure prior to purchase events and we observed the extent to which a Snapchatter’s exposure to a Lens was the last touchpoint prior to purchase (“last-touch conversion”), as well as it being a touchpoint at any point prior to purchase (“any-touch conversion”). These were then compared to Snap Ads exposures that led to a conversion."

In other words, Snapchat sought to determine how influential AR Lens usage was, specifically, in driving conversion, versus regular Snap ad exposure.

And the results were significant:

"Across the 10 campaigns, Lenses would’ve been credited with 45% more purchases on average when looking at any-touch compared to last-touch conversions. In comparison, Snap Ads were much lower at 16%."

That's a big jump, which underlines the potential of AR tools for facilitating brand and product experiences, even at this relatively early stage of development for such purpose.

Snap does concede that they can't wholly attribute AR Lenses for these results, at least not without some consideration of potential other factors. But the data does show that AR tools are under-represented for purchase attribution, and could play a more influential role in driving purchase activity than many would suspect.

And again, with AR wearables set to change the game again, it really is worth taking the time to consider the potential here, and where AR may fit into your outreach strategy.

Snapchat is currently working on the development of its AR-enabled Spectacles, which will eventually see it provide whole new experiences, in a range of ways.

It still feels a way off, the advanced AR tools, like everyday wearables, are not realistically on the horizon in the near future. But examples like this show that this next stage is getting closer, and that will open up new opportunities, in many new ways.

You can read Snapchat's full AR conversion report here.