Snapchat and Coach Just Debuted Snapcodes Embedded Into Holiday Pins

Forget about camera-equipped sunglasses—Snapchat and Coach are hoping to make Snapcodes en vogue. Today, the companies announced they've partnered to create a limited-edition set of Coach pins equipped with Snapcodes. The pins mark the first time a brand has created a product with the technology embedded in it. The pins, which will be available online and at 20 Coach locations across the U.S. throughout the holiday season, feature Coach’s holiday mascots—a unicorn, a dinosaur and a shark—inside an outline of Snapchat’s iconic ghost. To win a pin, Coach customers just have to take a free online or in-store quiz about their favorite mascot. According to Snap, users can scan the pins to play an arcade game based on Coach’s holiday video campaign. "The pins are all about creativity and individuality," Marni Schapiro, Snap’s director of retail, said in a statement. "They're fun, playful and allow our community a way to Snap the virtual onto reality." The quiz will also be featured in some Snap ads from Coach running throughout the season and can unlock campaign-themed Snapchat filters. While it's the first time Snapchat has created a customized accessory with Snapcodes, Snap has experimented with fashion products before. Last year, the company unveiled Spectacles, and while they garnered a lot of hype, they failed to catch on with everyday consumers. While the company reported $5.4 million in "other" revenue (primarily from Spectacles), it also reported a $40 million write-down in the third quarter from unsold specs. However, the pins could help Coach in another area that Snap's been touting lately—in-store visits. According to a Nielsen Buyer Insights study commissioned by Snap, Snapchatting households spend 39 percent more at retail stores than the national average. The results, which analyzed a year of debit and credit transactions with retailers, found that Snapchat users are more likely than others to try new products. The study also reported that more than two in five remember using the app before, during or after shopping, and a quarter of users said they've looked for Snapchat filters while shopping. Luxury brands have traditionally been slower to adopt emerging technologies than other industries; Coach has been gradually experimenting. For 2016's New York Fashion Week, the brand offered up its runway show in VR. Earlier this year, the company partnered with IMG, Simon Malls and Facebook to create a virtual reality experience at 20 Coach locations within Simon Malls.