Snap Inc, the owner of the popular photo messaging app Snapchat, has announced the launch of a new division, AR Enterprise Services (ARES), aimed at helping other companies incorporate augmented reality (AR) features into their websites or apps. This marks the first time Snap is making its AR technology available to business customers.
Jill Popelka, head of ARES, stated that Snap has proven what it can do with AR on its app, and is now offering a commercial-grade solution to other companies. Over 250 million people engage with AR on Snapchat daily, indicating the technology’s significant popularity.
Snap’s new enterprise venture comes when the company seeks to diversify its revenue sources beyond digital advertising, which currently accounts for the majority of its revenue. The initial product offered by ARES, called Shopping Suite, provides businesses with tools to create features that enable customers to try on clothes or view products in 3D virtually. This could help companies increase sales and reduce returns.
Popelka has stated that the pricing model for business customers will be flexible and that Snap may be able to earn a cut of product sales generated through its AR tools. The company is also using artificial intelligence (AI) to advance its AR capabilities, making it possible to take a 2D image and make it appear 3D without the need to first build a 3D model. Popelka claims that this technology has reduced the creation of high-quality 3D images from 40 to 60 hours to just a few hours.
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