Facebook announced last week that it will begin implementing augmented reality ads into the News Feed.
Soon we’ll be able to try products on while scrolling through the News Feed
These ads look like normal in-feed ads at first, but they include a “Tap to try it on” option, which opens up the AR capabilities.
And of course, if you like the way it looks in AR, you can go ahead and buy the product.
One Facebook AR ad test from Michael Kors let people try on a pair of their sunglasses virtually. Sephora, NYX Professional Makeup, Bobbi Brown, Pottery Barn, Wayfair and King will debut experiences this summer.
“People now expect a personalized and visually inspiring experience wherever they shop — whether on their phone or in-store, which is why video will play an increasingly important role in the mobile shopping experience. In fact, we’re already seeing video become the preferred medium for product discovery on mobile. As retailers prepare for their biggest shopping season of the year, we’re excited to introduce new products that will help them both delight and inspire shoppers, and ultimately drive sales.”
Ty Ahmad-Taylor, vice president of product marketing at Facebook’s global marketing solutions division
Facebook’s Augmented Reality Ads Quest
AR Ads are the latest example of Facebook going all in on augmented reality.
At its F8 developers conference last May, the company teamed up with Nike on an AR experience that let sneakerheads buy a limited-edition pair of shoes through its Messenger app.
Although Michael Kors is the only brand testing AR Ads right now, Facebook says that more will join the experiment in the near future, so you should expect to see a lot more of these pop up on your News Feed soon.
Facebook also announced a Video Creation Kit to help brands make mobile-first video ads, as well as expanded its click-to-buy Shopping on Instagram feature to any company that has shopping enabled on the platform.