Is this the future of fashion boutiques: an empty store, with only a code that customers can scan with their smartphones to gain access to a virtual store in augmented reality? Lego Wear and Snapchat are experimenting with the concept.
AR boutiques
Kabooki, a Danish enterprise that has been releasing children’s apparel for Lego Wear since 1993, is launching its first limited edition collection for adults. Its sweaters, T-shirts and hats all feature the famous logo (in hues of grey, white, and black ton-sur-ton). You will not find these in a normal shop or even a webshop: fans who want one will have to scan a so-called ‘Snapcode’ (a sort of QR code for Snapchat), that will grant them access to an augmented reality boutique made of Lego bricks and populated by Lego figurines.
“As a brand we are exploring a multitude of digital platforms and technologies to connect with fans in fun and engaging ways,” says Lea Sandell, Lego’s Global Social Media Innovation Lead. “This is an experiment exploring ways to bridge the physical and digital world and engage with fans of the LEGO brand.”
Snapchat’s parent company Snap is definitely interested in such AR boutiques. “Essentially it is a fun, innovative retail space, but rather than a physical store, it can be opened anywhere at anytime,” says director of creative strategy Will Scougal. “Snapchatters engage with AR naturally, on average 70% of them play with an AR lens every day. So with the addition of e-commerce – to an exciting experience like this one – we’re able to drive sales, too.”
The experiment is aimed at American, British, French and German Snapchat users. Yesterday, the concept was expanded into the physical world in London for one day: a pop-up clothing store without clothes or salespeople and instead only one item: a life-size Snapcode. Is this a vision of the fashion boutique of the future?