Toys R Us as a whole may have been struggling for the last couple of years, but the retailer has been standing its ground in Canada. Part of the reason why, is because it has been bringing unique experiences to its customer base and keeping abreast of the times. Now, the company has announced that it has partnered with Snapchat Portal Lens to create a unique augmented reality experience for its customers that can be accessed anywhere and anytime through the Snapchat app.

In a released statement, the vice president of marketing for Toys R Us Canada said “AR is a powerful new technology and we are excited to use it to improve the customer experience. Through this partnership with Snapchat, we’re able to bring our toys and products to life in new ways. Canadians expect this type of innovation from great retailers and we’re happy to be leading the charge.”

All customers need to do is to open Snapchat, use the Snapcode in the latest Toys R Us Holiday Toy Book to add the special lens, and a 3D Geoffrey the Giraffe will appear and guide users to walk through the magical ‘maple leaf’ Toys R Us Portal. Two additional lenses will also be added in the near future, one that will allow snapchatters to get a selfie with Geoffrey, and one that will allow the giraffe to jump right off the cover of the Toy Book. 

The Snapchat lead creative strategist said “Holiday shopping has never been more fun for Canadians. As Snapchatters walk through the augmented reality store, the toys around them come to life. When the lens is accessed via Snapchat’s Lens Carousel, Snapchatters will have the ability to ‘swipe up’ and buy their favourite toys via the Toys”R”Us Canada website.”

With all the AR apps out there these days, it’s not surprising that retailers are jumping on board to find creative ways to help them boost their sales. After all they offer new experiences for their customers, and are a great way to entice them with the latest products available.