Snap Acquires 3D Scanning Studio Th3rd for AR Commerce

Snap quietly acquired Amsterdam-based 3D scanning studio Th3rd in the second quarter of last year, at a time when the company was looking to bolster its AR-powered commerce ambitions. A spokesperson for the company confirmed to TechCrunch that four team members from Th3rd, who are based in the Netherlands, joined Snap as part of the acquisition. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

From an article in Tech Crunch by Aisha Malik

Founded in 2014, Th3rd specializes in creating high-quality digital twins of people and products to give brands and retailers a way to digitize their product catalog at scale. After being selected for Adidas’ Accelerator in Europe, the company worked with the retailer to digitize more than 2,500 shoes.

Snap declined to share how it incorporated Th3rd’s capabilities into its company, but we understand the startup’s technology has been used to enhance Snap’s AR projects, including its newly launched offering for brands. Yesterday, Snap announced it would start offering its AR tools to enterprise customers. The new SaaS product offers a suite of features, like AR try-on and fit and sizing recommendation tech, to help brands leverage AR technology. Brands can integrate these AR features directly into their apps or websites, Snap had said.

The company has been investing in AR-powered commerce in recent years and is building out its platform to leverage the technology. In April 2022, the company introduced tools that turn retailers’ photos into 3D assets and launched an in-app destination for AR fashion and virtual try-on called “Dress Up.”

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