AR/XR/Web3 Insights

Google Lets Shoppers Try On Hair Color, Foundation in AR

To help shoppers find the perfect products for them, Google has expanded its AR beauty toolset to allow consumers to try on hair colors and foundations in augmented reality directly from Search.

With this update, shoppers can virtually try on different do-it-yourself hair color shades from L’Oreal, with support for additional brands, including Splat and Revlon, coming in the future.

Shoppers can also try on foundation shades through augmented reality. (AdWeek)

Augmenting the Values of Luxury Retail

In the face of changing consumer behaviour, there is a growing appetite for conscious purchases that are made with purpose and intent as opposed to spending frivolously. This is ever more important in the realm of luxury retail, where brands persistently seek innovative ways to present themselves and engage with today’s discerning consumers all while upholding the core values that define a luxury brand.?

In a recent article, globally recognised speaker, author, and marketer Pamela Danzinger recently shared the ten values that define luxury brands today. While these values have always been the essence of luxury brands, they need to be adapted and transformed for today’s customers continuously.?(Martechvibe)

Snapchat Highlights Halloween AR Lenses From Brands

From beauty companies to movie studios, brands are celebrating Halloween on Snapchat with a variety of augmented reality experiences.

Snapchat highlighted some of the content its users can experience this spooky season.

To start, beauty brand Farmacy launched a Lens to support its Green Clean Challenge, a yearly promotion highlighting how well its Green Clean cleansing balm removes Halloween makeup. The Lens covers a person’s face with a Halloween makeup look, like one inspired by a skeleton, and allows them to use the cleansing balm to clean their face before trying a different look.

Maybelline New York, meanwhile, created multiple Lenses for the Halloween season. (AdWeek)

Apple Vision Pro Developer Labs Open in Two More Cities

Apple has announced the expansion of its Apple Vision Pro developer labs to New York City and Sydney, giving more developers the opportunity to test their apps on the innovative device that combines augmented reality and virtual reality.?

The Apple Vision Pro developer labs are a series of sessions where developers can work directly on the device and get feedback from Apple experts on how to optimize their visionOS, iPadOS, and iOS apps for the new platform.?

The labs also offer guidance on how to use the new features and frameworks that Apple Vision Pro provides, such as spatial audio, hand tracking, and face capture.?(XR Today)

Snap Brings AR Tech to Classrooms to Help Students Learn STEM Concepts

Snap partnered with ed-tech company Inspirit to bring augmented reality technology to classrooms across the U.S. with the goal of helping students better understand STEM concepts.

Inspirit’s platform will allow students to interact with custom AR lenses in a mobile application integrating Snap’s Camera Kit technology.

Snap and Inspirit launched a pilot of their technology in the summer of 2023 with learning company Stride’s remote learning students. Following the pilot launch, Snap said “85% of students agreed that incorporating AR into their lessons aids with memory and retention, and nearly half displayed a notable increase in engagement.” (AdWeek)

Atlantic, Meta to Debut Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Galapagos’ on Quest TV

Atlantic Productions has partnered with Meta Platforms to host an impressive immersive experience highlighting climate change’s effects on the Galapagos Islands. Using stereoscopic 180-degree cinematography, Atlantic Productions will leverage Meta’s extended reality (XR) technologies for the award-winning series Galapagos with Sir David Attenborough, legendary British Biologist, Documentarian, Historian, and Broadcaster.

Atlantic has filmed several BAFTA-winning films in XR and has gained extensive experience in creating virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) documentaries. Previously, the production company created the acclaimed film David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef and digitally twinned the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, shortly after releasing its celebrated film Back to the Titanic. (XR Today)

Ugg Promotes Cold Weather Collection With Zero10's AR Mirror

Apparel brand Ugg worked with AR technology company Zero10 to promote its new UggExtreme cold weather clothing and footwear collection with an augmented reality experience in its New York flagship on Fifth Avenue.

From now until Jan. 19, 2024, visitors to the Ugg NY flagship can enter a pop-up area featuring a winter-inspired backdrop and one of Zero10’s AR mirrors. The AR mirror will allow shoppers to view themselves with a variety of themed augmented reality effects, like a frost vortex and a pair of icicle wings. (AdWeek)

Google Maps is becoming more like Search —?thanks to AI

Google is adding a range of new AI-powered features to Maps, including more immersive navigation, easier-to-follow driving directions, and better organized search results. The end result is an experience that will likely remind many users of Google Search. Some of this news has already been announced, like Immersive View, which is now coming to more cities. Other aspects are intended to enhance previously available features, like EV charging station availability.

But the biggest takeaway is that Google wants Maps to be more like Search: a place where people can obviously come get directions or find coffee shops and EV chargers but also enter vague queries like “fall foliage,” “latte art,” or “things to do in Tokyo” and get a whole bunch of actually useful hits. Google said it wants people to use Maps to discover new places or experiences, all while under the auspices of its all-powerful algorithm. (The Verge)

Decentraland’s AI World Fair seeks to show there’s life in the metaverse yet for brands

Many marketers have all but forgotten the metaverse. But Decentraland, one of the most active builders in the space, believes that the AI revolution – among other factors – could help to supercharge this virtual space.

Not so long ago, the metaverse was a high priority for many marketers. A wide variety of brands, from Miller Lite to Lacoste, launched virtual activations in an effort to establish a foothold in what was widely believed at the time to be the future of human interaction: a virtual marketplace, office, playground, and more immersive mode of social media, all wrapped into one. (The Drum)

Want to check out our augmented reality projects? Follow us?here?on LinkedIn or on Instagram?at?@atomicdigital.design.

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