While their Spectacles roll out is not what brings in the mega bucks at Snap, it has sure created a fun buzz for the company and for the brand. The launch of Spectacles saw fans purchasing these video-recording sunnies at vending machines at random, designated locations in the US and in a pop-up store in Manhattan. Now that the buzz is trickling down the glasses are heading towards the usual way of retail.
A pair of Spectacles can be all yours via Spectacles.com for $130.
Spectacles allows wearers to take 10 second videos that can be directly uploaded on Snapchat. The first batch of Spectacles saw an influx of demand due its exclusivity, and the lucky few who were able to get a pair were able to sell these glasses for up to $5,000. They fast became one of the hottest, hardest to obtain gifts over the holidays.
Snapbots, or Snap vending machines, will still appear here and there from time to time: “Snapbots will continue to land in surprising locations around the U.S. following a brief ‘nap,’” a Snap spokesperson told TechCrunch.
This move is likely a new revenue-generating strategy to prove that the company is ready before its IPO. It is rumoured that Snap has plans for a bigger roll out where Spectacles is concerned. “It’s about us figuring out if it fits into people’s lives and seeing how they like products like Spectacles,” Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told The Wall Street Journal. “Response has been positive since November’s launch so we’re now happy to be able to make Spectacles more readily available – especially for those in the U.S. who have not been able to make it to a Snapbot.”