Snapchat’s virtual mall attracted 12 million shoppers in a month

Social media platform Snapchat’s augmented reality (AR) based virtual mall attracted 12 million shoppers during Ramadan 2023. Demonstrating a growing appetite for immersive retail experiences across the region, the virtual mall recorded 33% increase in visitors.

The platform, which collaborated with brands including American Eagle, Ounass and FACES, achieved an average play time of over 26.3 seconds creating a deeper connection between brands and consumers that resulted in 2.1 times the return on ad spend (ROAS).

“Ramadan is an incredibly important occasion for our customers and to reach them in the most relevant and innovative way we partnered with Snapchat to bring both Bath and Body Works & American Eagle stores to them via augmented reality. By creating a unique shopping experience, customers could easily engage with both the brands and products in an environment in which they already spent vast amounts of time, enabling a greater immersive, connected experience to both brands,” said Anne Tulloch, Integrated Marketing Communications Director at Alshaya Group.

The Snap AR Ramadan Mall platform was launched in 2022 as a unique shopping experience for Snapchatters to engage better with their favourite brands through a virtual, true-to-life marketplace. From eye-catching product demonstrations to personalised experiences and access to exclusive collections, the ability to virtually interact with products in a real setting before purchase proved to increase propensity to spend, increase the size of order baskets and reduce returns.

In fact, Snap’s recent retail white paper with PwC indicates that 80% of KSA consumers felt more confident in their purchases when using AR, whilst 66% of people are less likely to return an item they bought via AR try-on.

“The Snap Ramadan AR Mall resonates with consumers because it showcases a bold, live and fresh approach to shopping in the Middle East that puts them in a buying mindset. Due to the proven success of the Snap AR Ramadan Mall in its inaugural year, we were able to proudly scale participation in 2023 and provide an opportunity for brands to introduce innovation into product sales that drive real business results. This includes an 8+ point lift in brand awareness, 10+ point lift in ad awareness and a 10x increase in action intent, proving that AR is an essential tool in the marketing mix all the way through the funnel,” added Mohammed Bouarib, Senior Creative Strategist for Snap Inc. MENA.