Putney Creates 34 Digital Storefronts with VR and Snap Lenses

The finding that only 36% of Black-owned businesses have physical stores led Putney -  the Black-owned agency within independent BarkleyOKRP - to create digital storefronts for 34 online shops in Chicago throughout Black History month. The goal of the ‘Black Shop Friday’ initiative is to help these establishments increase sales and awareness through a virtual storefront.

Consumers can have an in-store shopping experience, walking through the featured store’s offerings thanks to the use of AR and Snap lenses. The technology can be accessed via QR codes that take consumers to the stores of their choice where they can shop and make purchases digitally by clicking on banners and logos of stores. To discover these stores, Putney is placing scannable decals (QR codes and snap lenses) on the windows of vacant storefronts, to act as a portal, taking people to the store’s digital marketplace, including their website, introducing consumers with these Black owned businesses.

“We are calling this experience ‘Brick and Mobile,’” explained Rony Castor, GCD at BarkleyOKRP and creative lead at Putney. “We decided to create an experience that mirrors how one might stumble onto a storefront, walk inside it, discover great products and buy them. This bridges the gap a little to give the 64% of Black-owned businesses that don’t have a physical space, an opportunity to showcase their offerings in a creative way.”

To ground the shopping journey in reality, Putney took over empty storefronts in Chicago and filmed the space. Then they digitally inserted products from online Black stores on virtual shelves and racks to give it the feel of a real storefront. When consumers click on the QR codes, it will open an AR lens that will make the stores appear three dimensional and the products appear real. Consumers can access the stores by scanning QR codes pasted on abandoned storefronts in Chicago and on the website.

“We see Black Shop Friday evolving beyond stores in Chicago to support Black-owned businesses nationwide,” noted Elena Robinson, CEO of Putney. “We see technology as a great way to enhance creativity to have a real impact and help Black-owned businesses grow.”

Each store featured on the website and on storefronts will have their own individual QR code and storefront. Shop owners can also print the QR codes, share them on their social channels and mail to their customers for a new shopping opportunity. 

The new Black Shop Friday initiative follows the agency’s Black Shop Friday program first launched in 2020 with a mission to get consumers to add Black shops to their annual holiday shopping lists.