AI Glasses You Can Try On And Try Out With AR
21 June 2021
In 2020, sports and lifestyle company Bollé launched the Volt+, their first lens developed with artificial intelligence (AI).
Researchers at EPIC, Bollé’s state-of-the-art design and technology innovation lab in Lyon, France, evaluated 20 million lens formula combinations with AI. The algorithm assessed all the combinations, and the team eventually chose one high-contrast formula that provides the best possible color enhancement and depth perception for their active lifestyle customers.
The Volt+ is being touted as one of the most technologically advanced lens in the marketplace, and it is being included throughout Bollé’s extensive line of sport and lifestyle sunglasses.
But it’s not just the way Bollé made these lenses that make them different. Bollé is also offering a remarkable new way for users to shop for and buy sunglasses that may change the industry forever.
The “Try-On/Try-Out” Campaign
During the pandemic, Bollé needed a way to showcase its new lens technology while providing a safe, touchless home shopping experience. They knew that providing a rich, realistic view of its eyewear was going to be critical, since shoppers couldn’t try on glasses in person due to lockdowns.
In spring 2020, Bollé launched “Experience the Power of Color,” the company’s first augmented reality (AR) digital ad campaign.
M7 Innovations and XR production house QReal partnered with Bollé to provide a highly realistic AR experience for prospects who want to check out their products from anywhere in the world, in a safe and sanitary way.
The revolutionary AR technology uses Instagram filters to enable customers to:
- Try-On: See how Bollé sunglasses will look on their face, while in selfie view.
- Try-Out: Flip from selfie view to front-facing view to superimpose AR lenses and look at the world through a pair of Bollé glasses.
Shoppers can even swipe through anti-fog and light-adaptive features, right on their screens. The AR tech will adapt to real-world surroundings and lighting to give a highly realistic idea of what it would be like to wear their glasses. Once the shopper is ready to purchase, they can buy right through the Instagram platform.
The AR Campaign’s Results
In January 2021, retail partner Dick’s Sporting Goods reported a year-over-year sales increase in Bollé products of 456%. Following the success of the June 2020 campaign, which focused on summer gear, Bollé launched a second (even more successful) campaign in October 2020 for their winter products.
In week one of the winter AR campaign, the brand attracted 12,000 AR users, with a 14-second dwell time with its core audience. Since they were the first company to launch a "Try-Out" experience for customers, they tested the more dynamic AR experience against a simpler "Try-On Only" version. The Try-Out campaign saw a 78 percent increase in click-throughs.
Now the full line-up of Bollé lenses is available in the augmented reality "Try-On/Try-Out" app, and consumers can also see what they look like in ski helmets and goggles.
Bollé has expanded its unique customer experience beyond the Instagram world, too. Customers can interact with 3D models on the Bollé website, even spinning the models around for a fully interactive online experience.
Try It Out Yourself
To get a quick preview of how Bolle “Try-On/Try-Out” works, check out this video:
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Bernard Marr is a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for using technology for the good of humanity.
He is a best-selling author of over 20 books, writes a regular column for Forbes and advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organisations.
He has a combined following of 4 million people across his social media channels and newsletters and was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 business influencers in the world.
Bernard’s latest book is ‘Generative AI in Practice’.
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