Accessories brand wades into augmented reality

Internet Retailing

16th Feb 2018

Online bag, case and tech accessories retailer STM Brands has released a new augmented reality platform, which it says will provide customers with an “entirely new way” to explore its products.

First unveiled at CES in Las Vegas last month, STM’s application allows customers to “try-on” bags digitally using computer-generated video and graphics to enhance real-world settings.

As STM Brand’s chief executive Ethan Nyholm has explained, backpacks have traditionally been quiet difficult to showcase in stores and online, an issue this technology would look to address.

“AR will change the way people interact with our products,” he said. “Individual customers can see a demonstration of a product’s key features come to life before their eyes.”

Sydney-based STM Brands, founded in 1998, is parent to two businesses, STM Goods and Element Case, which will both benefit from the new technology, delivered through brand-specific mobile apps.

The Element case application “exhibits and explains the intricacies” of its products, the company said.

For example, the app can assist customers with deconstructing the features of a specific phone case, outlining individual aspects of products with patented technologies.

“Element Case is all about advanced engineering and high-grade materials that maximise user convenience,” Nyholm said. “By bringing an interactive experience with the cases to the customer, we can take detailed and often complicated messaging about a product’s attributes and make it an easy to grasp visual.”