Marks & Spencer is the first UK high street retailer to introduce a virtual influencer, which it will use to promote clothing and accessories on Instagram. The digitally-rendered influencer is called Mira, which is an acronym for 'Marks & Spencer, influencer, reality, augmented'.M&S has created a backstory for Mira by appointing her as digital designer at M&S Support Centre office in West London, where she designs updates for M&S website and app, ‘helping to drive innovation on these platforms, with her expert knowledge of AR and VR [augmented and virtual reality]’. Mira is part of the M&S Insider programme, which was launched in January 2018 now includes 13 'Insiders' - M&S employees who receive a monthly allowance to purchase M&S products and promote them on their dedicated Instagram accounts. The programme includes six womenswear-focused influencers, two with a focus on Menswear, two for kidswear, two for M&S homeware products and one for M&S's beauty offerings, which include skincare, haircare and makeup brands Apothecary, Bumble & Bumble and Clinique.