The search giant has announced the launch of its AR Beauty ads targeting smartphone users.
Google recently announced that it has launched a new form of augmented reality advertising option for eye and lip products in the beauty industry.
The AR Beauty ads are designed to let smartphone owners use a “virtual try-on” of advertised products.
Though the augmented reality marketing campaigns are initially meant exclusively for eye and lip products, the intention is to expand the availability of AR Beauty ads to include other products of this nature, the next of which will be foundation.
Google Shopping now allows an AR Beauty ad to offer a tool that allows shoppers to preview a product in place of the standard product image conventionally seen in current ads on the platform. The option allows consumers to preview the way a product might look either on themselves or on a model they choose and that “resonates” with them.
The virtual tool works alongside the traditional product description and pricing information to help shoppers to make more informed purchasing decisions. It also features a simplified checkout process meant to make purchasing more streamlined.
The augmented reality advertising option will appear on mobile marketing channels specifically.
The ads will appear on Google Shopping ads displayed on mobile devices, in the places where they are typically found, such as in the Google.com Shopping tab, as well as in Search and in Google Images.
“AR Beauty ads help our beauty brand partners showcase their products in a more interactive way to capture demand,” read a statement in a press release issued through Google’s senior director of consumer shopping Lilian Rincon. “When a new tool is helpful for shoppers, it can be helpful for the entire industry.”
The AR Beauty ads rollout has arrived at a time in which Google has been increasing its focus on augmented reality and virtual try-on tools for other products such as foundation and hair color in Search. This includes a tool allowing shoppers to virtually test foundation on their own image. This underscores the rising belief in the tech and marketing industry that AR will have a powerful impact on marketing results.
