Snapchat partners with Verishop to launch new e-commerce portal
Snap and Verishop announced a new venture that will allow hundreds of millions of Snapchat users to shop within the app.
The Verishop Mini will be a "curated shopping experience that lives exclusively within Snapchat," according to a statement from both companies.
Fashion labels like Bebe, Richer Poorer, Fifth & Ninth, Ganni, Faithfull the Brand, Labucq, and Dannijo will be featured on a rotating basis in the app, which can be found through the rocket icon within Snap's chat and search function.
The store will also have selections from beauty brands like Kosas, R+Co, Blume and EXA. The Verishop Mini will even allow users to curate how their store looks based on their mood through 10 different categories. The categories carry names like "Free Spirited," "Mid-Century Modern," and "High Glam."
Snap users will be able to share outfits with friends through the chat function, making it easy to coordinate looks and get opinions from peers.
Alston Cheek, director of platform partnerships at Snap, said the Minis platform is a new way for "Verishop to create a socially-driven e-commerce experience inside of Snapchat."
"The Verishop Mini makes it easy and fun for our community to shop fashion and beauty favorites expertly curated just for them, right alongside their friends on Snapchat," Cheek said.
Verishop will also deploy augmented reality features allowing users to test out beauty products and certain accessories. The AR system will help users try out different shades of a lip gloss or different styles of sunglasses.
Verishop CEO Imran Khan said the store was a "new kind of shopping platform" and noted that the company was invested in helping provide spaces for independent brands.
"We're excited to introduce Verishop to the Snap community, and will continue to extend our platform, as we have with this partnership," Khan said.
Dozens of companies are now using AR systems to allow users to try things on. In May, Walmart announced plans to acquire Zeekit, an Israeli tech company that has created a virtual fitting room platform for shoppers.