Snap and Men’s Wearhouse Bring Augmented Reality to Prom Season

For Men’s Wearhouse, this year’s prom theme is “augmented reality.”

The clothing retailer has teamed up with Snapchat owner Snap to use the social media platform’s augmented reality (AR) tool to provide shoppers with virtual try-on capabilities, according to a Wednesday (April 18) press release.

“We are excited to offer these younger customers experiences in-store and online to make the shopping experience easier,” John Tighe, Men’s Wearhouse’s president of tailored brands, said in the release. “Everyone deserves to look and feel their best on prom night.”

The partnership employs Snap’s AR Mirror, which lets shoppers virtually try on clothing and accessories before purchasing, while also sharing images of their new look with friends, the release stated.

The partnership is one of a few retail collaborations Snap has undertaken recently. It has formed virtual try-on partnerships with Nike, Prada and American Eagle and is working with Coca-Cola on an AR-enabled vending machine.

Snap has been “instrumental in promoting the adoption of AR commerce, having invested in AR for over a decade,” with more than 250 million of the platform’s users engaging with AR daily, PYMNTS wrote last week.

Snap recently unveiled its “Shopping Suite,” which includes a range of try-on and sizing tools designed for retail, especially for clothing, footwear and eyewear.

Last year, Snap teamed up with Amazon for a virtual try-on partnership centered around eyewear and pairing Snap’s AR Lens filter with Amazon’s vast product inventory.

The Men’s Wearhouse partnership with Snap is the second digital innovation the retailer has rolled out this week. On Monday, the company introduced an “online concierge” that helps grooms and groomsmen pick attire for weddings.

Dubbed the Wedding Wingman, the tool offers clothing suggestions using answers to questions provided by the soon-to-be-married couple and lets in-store staff get the styles ready for customers when they visit.

“By leveraging digital technology, Men’s Wearhouse hopes to inspire customers and help them easily find a look they’ll love for their big day, whether they shop in-store or online,” Tighe said earlier this week.

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