There’s a new pair of glasses in town to keep you cool, and they are brought to you by beloved application Snapchat – dubbed Snap Spectacles.

I know what you’re thinking, this sounds a little too familiar to Google Glasses, the infamous attempt by Google to branch out into the physical tech business. In addition, Snapchat has over 150 million devout users around the globe, a brand that is making the likes of Facebook envious, why couldn’t they just stay cruising down the highway?

So let’s take a look at why Snap made this leap, and how they are learning from the mistakes of their competitors to bring the customer a whole new experience.

The Millennial Bandwagon

Let’s take a step back and take a look at how Millennials are shaping the success and adoption of products worldwide. When the Segway was released for example, they company thought they would flip the transportation business on its head… but the idea didn’t fly so well.

One of the main problems with the Segway, according to entrepreneur and first buyer Peter Shankman, was its awkward factor. People didn’t know how or when to use it. Millennials and therefore consumers alike weren’t quick to be seen on one. Maybe the only reason the company survived is its ability laugh at themselves – they were able to ride off of from being the butt of jokes in pop culture. After all, we all got a good laugh at Kevin James making a fool of himself as the overweight Segway security officer in the hit comedy, Mall Cop.

Maybe the only reason the company survived is its ability laugh at themselves – they were able to ride off of from being the butt of jokes in pop culture. After all, we all got a good laugh at Kevin James making a fool of himself as the overweight Segway security officer in the hit comedy, Mall Cop.

Even one of the biggest tech giants, Google, couldn’t catch the eyes of their Millennial onlookers. Some might say they looked like the glasses Jimmy Neutron or Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory would have worn on the regular. Second, they were mainly unaffordable for the younger generation. At over $1500 per pair, they almost eliminated their biggest consumer audience. Snap’s new spectaculars will cost a much more reasonable $129.99 – It has a nice ring to it no? But Wait! There’s more – they are fashionable and eye catching, coming in a very popular look and a variety of colors to choose from. From the looks of them, they are definitely something we want to be seen in. According to Carolina Milanesi, a consumer technology analyst from Creative Strategies:

At over $1500 per pair, they almost eliminated their biggest consumer audience. Snap’s new spectaculars will cost a much more reasonable $129.99 – It has a nice ring to it no? But Wait! There’s more – they are fashionable and eye catching, coming in a very popular look and a variety of colors to choose from. From the looks of them, they are definitely something we want to be seen in. According to Carolina Milanesi, a consumer technology analyst from Creative Strategies:

“If you look at the kinds of glasses millennials wear, the design is very ‘in’

What’s their Vision?

Okay, back to the seed I planted earlier. Why couldn’t Snapchat just keep doing what they do best? Why did they put so much effort into changing their path. They are already the leader in the app world and millions of of customers love them. However, Snapchat knows the beauty of their business – they create the utmost in customer experience by constantly changing the vision and adding to the user experience.

Every year they are adding more and more ways in which the customer can interact with their app and their brand, they are bringing smiles to their user, and connecting them around the globe – something that doesn’t go unnoticed. What started out as a simple photo clip that could be sent and then auto destructed within seconds, transformed into a way in which the user could share their daily lives with one another.

We can view our friend’s personal stories, share our location to others, and even share some embarrassing snapchat filters of our face in a piece of toast. Simple, but so engaging for the user.

Snap Inc is now shifting their vision of consumer engagement into the hardware business. They are leaping into the physical world of customer experience. Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel even reiterated this statement by saying:

“We hope that this change will improve your experience with Snapchat and Spectacles, and create a structure that allows us to continue making great new products for you and your friends.”

We can now have something we can touch and feel, and no matter how far the world is going digital, we still love the tangible things around us. Customers still love to touch, smell, feel, and test. In combine the tangible service of a pair of video glasses, with the intangible abilities of their application, Snap is providing the ultimate package to their users.