(updated on December 2^nd, 2020)

The rapid spread of the novel COVID-19 virus has put the world on lockdown in hopes of maintaining the outbreak and prioritizing the safety of the masses. However, there is no denying that this sudden change in our regularly scheduled programming will challenge beauty brands to rethink their digital business strategies, and do so quick. While life as we knew it has most certainly changed drastically in the last week, beauty brands must be quick to adapt to the here and now. Every brand should rely heavily on interactive digital technology to stay connected with their internal teams, business partners and consumers. The reality is the surge in work from home business arrangements and stay-at-home personal measures are making digital connections stronger, and more essential, than ever before.

Digital business solutions are hardly a new concept—if you haven’t fully integrated into digital yet, it is never too late and it’s time to start. However, in the wake of a global health crisis, more beauty brands and retailers are relying heavily on virtual connections to stand in place of physical ones, in hopes of driving their business forward during a precarious time. Furthermore, with more people spending time at home, human behavior will also begin to shift, once again drawing on digital connections through online, social and mobile.

The impact of a pandemic is vast, transcending all industries. However certain industries, like beauty, have proven to hold up well despite economic turmoil. The reason being that looking and more importantly, feeling good, become increasingly important during tense times, and the beauty industry offers a plethora of affordable products to aid in helping people feel exactly that. With the rise in beauty technology permeating the industry across all categories (makeup, skin, and hair) and all touchpoints (instore, online, and mobile), beauty brands are faced with a unique opportunity to leverage smart beauty tech solutions to draw on these digital connections while world stays at home.

Here’s are three key digital strategies beauty brands are using to drive their business through virtual connections.

1. Stay connected with employee - Livestream internal training platforms

With employees displaced from their office spaces, keeping internal teams connected, motivated, and informed becomes essential for brands to maintain productive. The use of interactive livestream digital platforms invites an enhanced layer of connectivity that goes beyond a traditional voice call. It invites engagement and an experiential element that speaks to the human connection despite the digital screen. Private livestream channels allow brands to host internal trainings to keep their teams connected and engaged despite work from home arrangements.

2. Stay connected with Customer – Via on-demand beauty advisor 1-on-1 consultations and livestream broadcasting

With consumers spending more time in front of their screens, an on-demand virtual beauty 1-on-1 consultation can replace in-store beauty counter visits by offering the same level of personalization and professionalism, but safely through a touch-free digital environment. Virtual beauty technology has made it possible for customers to connect with beauty professionals via face time video call for an interactive, virtual beauty consultation. The experience is complete with hyper-realistic virtual makeup effects that beauty advisors can instantly apply to a caller’s face and then add to a digital shopping cart to complete the full circle experience. This on-demand service closely mimics the in-store beauty counter visit offering an alternative way for brands to connect with their consumers at home, while still providing that personal “touch”.

Similarly, brands can leverage digital technology to connect with the masses through a one-to-many livestream broadcast. This digital entertainment outlet offers engaged, interactive content direct to consumers and fans during a time when digital connections have become our lifeline.

3. Let remote customer try your product online - Hyper-realistic digital product try-ons

Advanced AI and AR technologies have made hyper-realistic virtual beauty try-ons so accurate, that they rival the results of physical ones. Brands can look to beauty technology to recreate a digital try-on experience for their products that closely mimics the physical one, and integrate this experience across their website and on mobile platforms. The immediacy and convenience of the virtual try-on in YouCam app and on the website invites a level of discovery and experimentation that physical try-ons do not promote, playing well to a community who will be glued to their digital screens and in search of experiences.

With social distancing limiting our physical connections to the people and world around us, unique digital connections are emerging stronger than ever to bridge the gap. Access to the latest digital technologies especially those with interactive capabilities, can help brands win in this new paradigm enabling them to stay fully connected with business partners, employees and consumers. These advanced digital connections deliver engaged, personalized experiences that resonate with employees and consumers alike, keeping our world’s connected, despite the precautionary distancing temporarily isolating us all.

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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