Snapchat’s adding some more customization options for its Bitmoji characters, with users now able to dress their characters up with bags from Prada and Miu Miu via Snap’s first branded handbag partnership.
As you can see in this example, Snap has added a range of designer bags to its digital accessories, providing new ways to customize your digital character.
As per Snap:
“Starting on 11/19, Snapchatters can unlock a selection of Prada and Miu Miu looks to personalize their Bitmoji in a style that suits them, from Prada’s timeless Small Galleria Bag in Saffiano Leather to Miu Miu’s Wander Bag, both favorites among Gen-Z.”
The new accessories will add to Snap’s existing range of Bitmoji fashion partnerships, with users already able to access Bitmoji clothing that reflects the latest releases from Adidas, Converse, Nike, Jordan, Crocs, Levi’s, and more. Snap also added Bitmoji “Beauty Drops” last year, which replicate real-world make-up product launches that you can add to your virtual persona.
Some of these add-ons are available for free, providing a means to help promote the real world versions of each, while others you have to buy, in order to show off your Snap elitism.
The brands then take a cut of those sales, and while this may not be a major revenue stream for Snap or the individual businesses as yet, it does provide another avenue to help expand Bitmoji use, and get more people more aligned to their virtual characters.
And that could end up being crucially important.
The future view of social media interaction is that more and more of it will eventually be conducted via avatars, with people engaging in VR and AR worlds through their digital depictions. That’s the core focus of Meta’s metaverse, which considers the popularity of online gaming worlds at present (like Roblox and Fortnite) and extrapolates that to future scenarios, when these younger audiences grow up.
Essentially, young audiences are already well accustomed to interacting in this way, and Meta’s hoping to convert that into an expanded pathway into its next-level experiences, while also building on the utility of virtual character interaction.
And with Bitmoji, Snap could also play a part in this.
It’s not clear what Snap’s future will be, given the rising competition in AR, and limitations on its app growth, as it doesn’t seemingly hold its appeal as users age-out.
As such, Snap likely needs to hedge its bets, by focusing on both app development and expanded opportunities, like AR creation, integrated into other platforms (in case its own AR Spectacles project doesn’t work out), and Bitmoji avatars, that could also be applied to metaverse-like experiences.
It all depends on how open other platforms make their operating systems, but many users would likely love to export their Bitmoji doppelgangers into future metaverse applications.
As such, brand partnerships like this may be more important than they seem at this stage.
