HOKA ONE ONE gives customers a new way to shop through virtual pop-up store

HOKA ONE ONE, an athletic shoe and apparel brand, is known for their ability to combine comfort, functionality and style through unique technologies. Priding themselves on their ability to do things differently and innovate the status quo, HOKA has designed shoes with enhanced cushioning, stability, and versatility that meet the fitness needs of a wide variety of users. Following this spirit of fearless innovation, when COVID-19 restrictions made it more difficult for customers to try on shoes in-store, HOKA teamed up with their digital partner Jellyfish and Snapchat to bring the shopping experience right to users’ homes.  

HOKA first partnered with Snapchat in Q1 2020 after having seen the steady success other Deckers Brands had on the platform. Snapchat did not disappoint. HOKA began Q1 by using Snap Ads and later supported lower-funnel goals leaning into Dynamic Ads, with the strong performance from both, the brand was confident in Snapchat’s ability to drive sales and brand awareness. With many consumers avoiding shopping malls and stores during COVID-19, HOKA had to find a new way to reach customers that would otherwise shop in-store.

The solution was an ad format HOKA had been eager to try for a while: AR Lenses. The Snapchat team worked with HOKA to build out a virtual pop-up shop using AR technology. The AR Lens featured product pages for shoes and allowed for customers to "try on" via  digital image of sneakers on a shopper's feet, when using camera world view. When using face view, users were able to try on a HOKA sweatshirt. A "Shop Now" button swiped up to HOKA’s website where users could purchase the shoes and apparel. These features allowed Snapchatters to have a fully immersive commerce experience without ever leaving their homes. 

This try-on Lens, combined with a multi-product approach, running Snap Ads, Dynamic Ads and geo-targeting campaigns simultaneously, allowed HOKA to reach their full-funnel goals of increasing brand exposure and purchases among their target audience. HOKA’s try-on Lens outperformed all benchmarks. The share rate was nearly 6X the Snapchat retail benchmark with an 82% more efficient cost per share vs Snap retail benchmark¹.

At HOKA, Snapchat now plays a significant role at both the top & the bottom of the funnel, due to its ability to drive cost effective, targeted traffic to the website in a new, creative way.

As a result of incredible performance, the brand has decided to re-launch the lens for future activations to showcase new product releases. This will continue to allow users to have a full AR shopping experience without going in person to a store.