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On 14 December, Vogue Business’s head of advisory Anusha Couttigane was joined by Snap’s global head of luxury Geoffrey Perez, as well as Vogue Business senior advisor Amy Rollinson to discuss the power of augmented reality and its potential in the luxury industry. The discussion took place during a champagne reception at Vogue House, marking one of the final events hosted at the iconic British Vogue HQ; teams are soon to move to Condé Nast’s new London home at the Adelphi.
The conversation explored the use of augmented reality, by companies like Gucci and Farfetch, and touched on the findings of a whitepaper recently published by Vogue Business and Snap on consumer demand for digital tools. Rollinson, who led the research, shared that among the UK luxury consumers’ top uses for AR were receiving styling tips and education on how to care for garments. Curiously, while virtual try-on remains in high demand — particularly for apparel — luxury consumers are often hesitant regarding the accuracy of size and fit when it comes to rendering garments in AR.
Perez, who leads AR services for luxury brands at Snap, spotlighted brands like Dior who have set their sights on having a total catalogue of digital designs for virtual try-on. He followed with the benefits of maximising luxury’s accessibility through AR; both to consumers who face physical challenges when it comes to traditional modes of shopping and for those in locations where physical stores and products are not available to them.
When asked how augmented reality can complement other digital strategies, Rollinson expanded on things like garment care — for example, repairing techniques that can be delivered through AR to expand education about products and brand values — as well as supporting sustainability strategies. Perez added that improvements across size and fit in AR overlays helps to boost the confidence of online shoppers and reduce the likelihood of returns, an age-old problem for the industry.
Thinking more about the future, Perez also addressed the investments Snap is making into developing glasses with digital enhancements. The tech company was an early adopter of wearables with social media integration, but uptake was slow. The company is now working on the third generation of these digitally-enhanced accessories, with renewed enthusiasm for wearables becoming more evident as rivals join the trend.
Beyond fashion, Rollinson alluded to other categories that are benefitting from the introduction of augmented reality — such as jewellery, watches and beauty — referencing other recent research by Vogue Business, including the inaugural Vogue Business Beauty Index that identifies the value of AR for cosmetics try-on and experiences in the beauty world. She added that the technology performs best alongside additional innovations, such as AI clienteling, whereby product recommendations can be made through highly-tailored offerings for prestige shoppers.
Perez concluded by talking about the launch of a new Gucci holiday campaign on Snapchat, which had gone live earlier that day. In it, users are able to discover five signature Gucci designs through an augmented reality experience by participating in an immersive treasure hunt to ramp up dwell times (time spent on a page or in an app) and engagement. Rollinson added that increasing dwell times has a palpable impact on conversion rates, as well as beliefs about brands.
Couttigane, moderating, offered early insights into the upcoming Vogue Business Index. The research draws a link between the adoption of AR and other digital tools, and the impact of how innovative a brand is perceived to be, which contributes to conversion. While AR is still an experimental space, the potential uses remain vast — even more so when part of a wider digital toolkit that elevates user experience.
The event wrapped up with drinks and canapés, as guests toasted the holiday season and bid Vogue House a festive farewell.
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