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As brands reinvent the digital shopping experience, personalization and customer customizability are at the center of the effort. With an increase in digital shopping experiences, customers are hungry for product and personalized care. In 2020 alone, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that global online purchases for cosmetics and personal care have risen by 6%, compared to 2019 (UNCTAD).
As consumer demand grows, trailblazing beauty brands continue to find new ways to communicate with and tailor to their audiences. Increased levels of customization and just-for-you care are driving reasons behind brand innovation. Take Aveda, Neutrogena, and e.l.f., all of which have implemented beauty tech solutions to boost their personalized beauty shopping offerings to guests, and ultimately driving sales.
Neutrogena: Launching AI Beauty Technology for Personalized Skincare Recommendations
As custom skincare demand continues to rise, Neutrogena is meeting the consumers on their discovery path with the launch of the new Neutrogena Skin360™app. The app’s skin score tool, powered by Perfect Corp., is able to identify 2,000-plus facial attributes and give users a detailed skin score for some of the most common skin conditions. From dark circles and wrinkles to fine lines and dark spots, the app identifies each user’s most prominent skin concerns and provides personalized suggestions and skincare regimens based on their results.
Neutrogena Skin360 App, powered by Perfect Corp.'s AI Skincare Technology.
“We think this gives our consumers a wonderful opportunity that in an everyday purchase event, they will have an opportunity to have a personalized regimed created for them,” says Logan McGill, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, Head of Neutrogena® Skin Tech Innovation. “This helps with knowing what products are right for them, and it brings the expert to every part of the funnel.”
The power of the personalization is simple: the more custom and open-to-users the process is, the more likely they are to stick with a routine. Through this work, Neutrogena has seen increased conversion rates and basket size, and has truly brought the latest in skin science to its loyal — and emerging — customers.
Aveda: Bringing AI Beauty Technology to Virtual Hair Color Try-on and Personalization
The power of personalization is once again at play with Aveda’s impressive new custom virtual hair color try-on tools. Powered by Perfect Corp.’s technology, Aveda’s virtual try-on service has enabled its customers to rethink their hair color possibilities.
Aveda's virtual hair color try-on experience, powered by Perfect Corp.'s AI Hair Color technology.
As salons across the country closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand accelerated its digital footprint, and saw nearly a 2-times increase in time spent on-site, and 8-times the number of new guests to the site. As salons nationwide began opening, Aveda utilized its reach to help its independent salon locations connect more with guests and bring them the custom, personalized hair care they sought.
“Guests more and more as they shop online need to have that deeper level of consultation and personalization to find the products that are right for them,” says Rachael Ostrom, Executive Director of Digital Strategy and Transformation at Aveda. “And we actually see that when our guests use the products that are right for them, we have higher repeat rates, higher retention rates. Every metric across the board increases.”
E.l.f.: Utilizing AI Beauty Technology to Deliver a Personalized Brand Experience to the Gen Z Shopper
In its mission to make beauty shopping fun and playful, e.l.f. has implemented augmented reality (AR) experiences to help bridge the gap between the physical shopping experience and its digital counterpart.
“We learned that the younger Gen Z consumers want this as part of the discovery and purchase journey,” says Ekta Chopra, Vice President of Digital at e.l.f. “Also it brings an element of fun. We saw over 1.5 million interactions on our app during COVID, and those who engaged had triple digit higher conversion rates than those who didn’t. Our Gen Z consumer wants to have that playful experience before they make a purchase.”
e.l.f. Cosmetics makeup virtual try-on experience, powered by Perfect Corp.'s AR Technology.
Adding in the fun interactive element into its shopping experience has allowed e.l.f. to not only customize the journey, but to make it perfectly bespoke to the Gen Z shopper.
“Tech is an enabler and it solves issues that the digital consumer has in the digital ecosystem: discovery, the purchase decision, and building loyalty and advocacy with them,” Chopra adds. “AR is not a nice-to-have anymore. It’s a must-have for beauty.”
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References: UNCTAD, and Netcomm Suisse Observatory. “‘COVID-19 and E-Commerce.’” UNCTAD, 8 Oct. 2020, unctad.org/press-material/covid-19-has-changed-online-shopping-forever-survey-shows.
