The pandemic has changed the way consumers shop and what they want on their customer journey. With restrictions and personal safety, many people are now shopping online with over 25 per cent of the world’s population shopping on e-commerce websites. Beauty products are best to buy in-store to get advice from the sales assistant and test different shades which you can’t get online. To adapt to this change in consumer behaviour, the beauty industry is innovating and using technology in new ways. Artificial intelligence is now used by companies to indicate your skin age and advise which tone of foundation and concealer is best for you. This technology is being used by retailers such as Bobbi Brown and Charlotte Tilbury but there are also websites that can help you match your skin tone to a foundation from websites such as Fondation.com and MatchMyMakeup.com.
Technology even allows us to test out make-up looks using filters to see the make-up on our faces without even applying it, allowing users to view multiple looks and colours and avoid cross-contamination by using testers. This is something Facebook’s Spark AR studio has adopted on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The technology is incorporated into banner advertisements that give consumers the opportunity to virtually try on makeup products without leaving their app. Brands like Chanel, YSL and Maybelline are now offering VR try on services on their websites and mobile apps. Due to changes in consumer behaviour and the recent pandemic, L’Oreal India managing director, Amit Jain, recently stated that the firm’s CEO had set a global mission for the brand to “evolve from a beauty to a beauty technology company.”
A Welsh technology company, BrandLab360 offers a new innovative way for retailers and wholesalers to sell directly to consumers inside the Metaverse. Recently, they launched ‘Maison Too Faced’, a bespoke online shoppable experience that takes place inside the Metaverse, BrandLab360 is showcasing some of the best opportunities in virtual reality for the world’s retailers.
Maison Too Faced (designed for Estée Lauder’s Too Faced), provides shoppers with a first-of-its-kind retail experience consisting of a 360° virtual environment with a fully functioning economy, and the transferability of avatars and digital assets. All events inside the virtual store occur in real-time and are fully accessible via a link with no apps or downloads required. Created entirely by BrandLab360, with the latest innovation in CGI, the gamified beauty world is a sight to behold.
Shoppers are invited into the Metaverse to experience a fully branded, gamified world of beauty shopping, complete with interactive gardens filled with hero products, brand mascots to interact with, plus the opportunity to play games to capture discount codes. All the products available mirror their real-life counterparts, and shoppers are encouraged to invite their friends to meet them in the Metaverse and enjoy the experience together. The store can hold thousands of shoppers at any one time.