Yesterday, ZARA unveiled it’s augmented reality experience across 120 flagship locations in an effort to connect with increasingly mobile-focused shoppers. As the main brand for Inditex group, one of the largest retailers in the world, ZARA is leading the way for a new wave of experimental commerce that leverages emerging technologies like augmented reality.
We’ve all heard stories about “the death of retail,” and while that sentiment is debatable, we know foot traffic to shopping malls and brick-and-mortar locations is on the decline. In the face of giant disrupters like Amazon, brands need to up their online marketing efforts and find better ways to enhance the in-store shopping experience with digital tools. Augmented reality, a technology popularized by apps like Snapchat, provides a unique opportunity to retailers for connecting the online and offline shopping experience.
Here’s how you can try the ZARA AR experience for yourself: Download the app for free to your mobile phone (available for Android and iOS), then visit one of the retailer’s flagship locations across the world. Once in store, locate one of the “Experience the Look” markers placed throughout and “look” through the app. Watch as models appear in real-time on your mobile phone showing off the latest looks. The experience is also extended to customers shopping online, who will be prompted to download and use the AR app on a marker placed on the shipping box.
We wanted to check it out for ourselves, so we travelled to Yorkdale Mall in Toronto to get a closer look. Watch the video below as fashion tech journalist Amanda Cosco shares her findings.
Want to learn more about the potential of augmented reality for the fashion industry? Check out this podcast episode with Helen Papagiannis, one of the leading thinkers in augmented reality, and author of the newly published book, Augmented Human. We chat about the possibilities and opportunities for how retailers and fashion brands can use this exciting new third space.
