Augmented Reality

Iconic images from the pages of Vogue are getting a makeover, courtesy of Target. In an ad campaign running in the September issue of Vogue, the discount department store has reimagined classic images from the fashion magazine, dating to the early 1900s. In this topsy-turvy world, carpets and curtains sold at Target replace high-fashion dresses, a chunky…

Rakuten, Japan’s answer to Amazon.com with e-commerce operations and investments that stretch from digital media and e-commerce marketplaces through to social media and transport apps, is making another acquisition to expand its holdings, this time in the area of fashion. The company has acquired Fits.me, a startup that develops “virtual fitting rooms” — two-way technology…

Hammacher Schlemmer is pioneering what may well be the next evolution of catalog shopping with the launch of what it describes as the "first augmented reality catalog." To access the catalog, users download the free Hammacher Schlemmer app for iPad, and then scan specially marked catalog pages to overlay a three-dimensional image of a product that literally jumps off the page. Users can zoom in and out, spin the item 360 degrees, play videos, and easily access helpful information such as user manuals and customer reviews with just a touch. Items can even be purchased directly from the app.

Zappos and training app MapMyFitness are teaming up to ensure runners are never logging miles on worn-out shoes. The two companies announced last week a new feature called Gear Tracker in the MapMyFitness app for Apple iOS users. The feature lets users estimate when their shoes are too worn to run in and then gives them the option of buying a new pair of shoes directly from the fitness tracking app. The companies expect to bring the same feature to Google's Android before the end of the year.

Contactless payments, click-and-collect and 3-D printing are just some examples of how the retail industry is embracing the latest technology in the hope of stopping the decline of traditional brick-and-mortar stores. In December 2013, nearly 20 percent of non-food items in the United Kingdom were bought online, according to the British Retail Consortium. In the U.S., meanwhile, suburban shopping malls are fast becoming relics, reminders of a bygone era when consumers shopped on foot and paid with cash. 

Victoria's Secret is one of a few different retailers this holiday season that's incorporating augmented reality into its own branded application for both driving sales and engagement. The retailer is using augmented reality that's been built specifically into the Victoria's Secret mobile application. Victoria's Secret is launching the new feature to work with the brand's new winter style guide catalog. "It makes total sense for Victoria's Secret to integrate augmented reality into its own app as opposed to using a third-party branded app," said Ritesh Bhavnani, chairman of Snipp Interactive.