The landscape of online advertising is in for a refresh. Google has just rolled out AR Beauty ads, aimed at revolutionizing the way consumers shop for beauty products like lip gloss, eye shadow, and soon, foundation. Instead of the usual still image in Google Shopping ads, you'll now see a feature that allows you to virtually try on products. Cool, right?

Here's how it works:

• You get to preview how different beauty products will look on either yourself or a model of your choice.
• Product details and pricing are right there for you, paired with a quick and easy checkout process.

Where can you find these ads? They're designed for mobile use and will appear in familiar Google Shopping channels—like Google's Shopping tab, Search, and Google Images.

According to Lilian Rincon, senior director of consumer shopping at Google, "AR Beauty ads capture demand by making beauty shopping interactive. A tool that's good for shoppers is good for the whole industry."

But Google isn't the only player in the AR game:

• Meta is set to bring AR ads to Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories.
• Niantic showcased AR ads during the Cannes Lions festival.
• Snapchat has been in the AR ad space for a while through its Lens tech.

Google itself tested the waters in 2019 with AR features in YouTube ads. So this is more of a natural evolution for the company.

The big question: Is AR really better for advertising? Data suggests yes.

• Shopify reports that 3D AR ads have 94% higher conversion rates compared to traditional 2D display ads.
• A study by Snap and Deloitte shows that brands using AR are 41% more likely to catch a customer's eye, with nearly three-quarters of consumers willing to pay extra for AR-enabled shopping experiences.

And Google has stats to back its move too. During their 2019 YouTube AR experiment, almost a third of viewers spent more than 80 seconds trying out lipstick. Plus, Google claims that users who interact with AR features are more likely to explore a brand's site, research products, or actually buy something.

With projections indicating that global AR ad revenue could skyrocket to $6.68 billion by 2025, it seems that AR is here to stay, and it's changing the game for both brands and consumers. Exciting times ahead!

Sources: https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/25/google-launches-ar-beauty-ads-for-lip-and-eye-products/

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