Snapchat Is Reimagining the Modern-day Shopping Experience for Gen Z

At WWD’s annual Apparel & Retail CEO Summit, Crystal Alexander, head of apparel and footwear at Snapchat, gave a keynote presentation on how its more than 48 million Gen Z users are similar to generations of shoppers before them. Key findings indicated that today’s shoppers are still going in-store to experience firsthand the clothes they’re wearing.

In today’s digital-first society, Gen Z consumers have turned to the social media platform as a way to engage with their friends and family and to get feedback instantaneously. Alexander said Snapchat has become a digital dressing room for users with the platform an easy way for shoppers to shop with friends and share their content.

Snapchat data found that 75 percent of its total audience comes to the platform to connect with their best friends and 91 percent of that audience said they are trusting their best friends with purchase recommendations.

While the platform has creators and premium content to give its customers information on the latest trends, Alexander said that Snapchat is the missing piece of the puzzle in helping consumers decide what to buy physically in stores. The platform uses stories, chat and augmented reality to help this decision-making.

“Three in four Snapchatters rely on the platform as an opportunity to shop with their best friends, even when they’re not with them,” Alexander said.

Shoppers can now purchase with confidence because they now have the ability to have their friends and family weigh in on their opinions. Moreover, this ability to share purchases and products quickly creates a system of people influencing each other, with Alexander dubbing the platform this generation’s dressing room.

Another feature that Snapchatters have continued to utilize during their shopping journey is the augmented reality lens. While it was created as a funny and silly in-app feature, it now serves users with the ability to try on clothes, shoes and accessories.

As previously reported in WWD, brands such as Cartier have been partners with the platform in allowing Snapchat users to try on jewelry. The partnership came about between the two for the 100th-anniversary celebration of Cartier’s signature Trinity ring. Notably, Cartier’s AR lens is a shoppable product — which is a growing trend amongst social platforms to provide their users with a more seamless shopping experience and grow their in-app e-commerce presence.

“Snapchat allows [users] to gain confidence in that purchase where [they] can try on anywhere in the world,” Alexander said.

Other major brands who have partnered with Snapchat over the years include Gucci, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, American Eagle and Off-White.