(updated on December 4^th, 2020)

With an estimated 1.7 billion people around the world ordered to stay at home, brands are forced to quickly rethink how they connect and engage with existing consumers, as well as master the art of new customer acquisitions. With social distancing practices in place, digital screens within our homes have become the only touchpoints for which brands can connect with their consumers. This means beauty brands must quickly increase their online presence, providing more digital content to attract consumers. However, given the infinite nature of the oversaturated digital universe, this means steep competition for consumer attention and a need for brands to consider inclusion on well-established third party platforms where their target consumer is already spending a chunk of their time.

In times of crisis, speed is of the essence. As consumer behavior evolves, brands must quickly adapt and react to these changes. During the current global fight against COVID-19, the faster a brand can get its products online in front of millions of stay-at-home users, the higher its chances of survival. Beauty brands must quickly recognize the value and opportunities presented by established social communities, versus the challenges posed by the creation of their own which could take years to build up an active digital community.

Given time constraints, brands must look to digital platforms that already have a large pool of potential customers. YouTube (Perfect Corp. partnered with YouTube to bring virtual makeup try-on experience to YouTube viewers) and Instagram, for example, already have an established audience with millions of beauty lovers spending hours every day watching branded content and interacting with new virtual try-on features that bring influencer makeup tutorials to life in a whole new way. Similarly, Perfect Corp.’s innovative YouCam Makeup, the only virtual try-on mobile platform, provides beauty fans an immersive, personalized consumer journey powered by AR & AI virtual beauty try-ons in the palm of their hands. Beauty brands and retailers can capture new and existing customers through this interactive medium that allows users to virtually experiment and discover their products, driving sales and connecting with users in a hyper-engaged environment. This type of advanced virtual try-on within an active beauty-loving community will help beauty brands connect with their consumers despite the physical divide. Moreover, YouCam Makeup’s specialized digital global platform seamlessly connects brands with their target audience and boosts user engagement without the need for advanced segmentation and positioning.

As more consumers are confined to their homes, they continue to explore new ways to adapt by connecting through their digital and mobile screens. This behavioral change has resulted in exponential increases in daily YouCam app usage across the world, presenting a new outlet for beauty brands to focus their digital efforts on. Recent YouCam Makeup user behavior data showed a 32% spike in daily virtual try-ons, along with 50% more calls through the free in-app Beauty Advisor 1-on-1 service, and 2X more time spent watching YouCam livestream shows in-app. Download the full report here.

This record high in-app activity confirms that more consumers than ever before are turning to their mobile phones for interactive virtual experiences, and brands must strive for visibility, meeting their consumers and potential consumers in those channels.

Time and financial constraints triggered by COVID-19 have revealed a pressing need for brands to undergo digital transformations. As a result, beauty brands have recognized the benefits of leveraging already established digital platform, like YouCam Makeup and its 800 million global downloads, in order to do so. YouCam Makeup in-app product listings give consumers an opportunity to virtually experience branded products, boosting consumer engagement, building brand awareness, and driving traffic back to the brand’s website. This cohesive virtual experience from discovery, to experimentation, to purchase helps brands master the digital-first strategy necessary for success in this new era of social distancing.

Get expert advice from Perfect Corp. and be part of the beauty tech trend. Contact us for details on beauty tech solutions trusted by 400+ brands globally.

Get expert advice from Perfect Corp. and be part of the beauty tech trend. Contact us for details on beauty tech solutions trusted by 400+ brands globally.

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