Belcorp Sees “Tremendous Increase in Conversion Rates” and Larger Basket Sizes Using Perfect Corp. Virtual Try-On

Situation: An Iconic Beauty Company Embraces Digital Transformation

Belcorp, is a multinational beauty corporation with more than 50 years of experience in direct sales. Since its founding, the company has assisted millions of women in achieving their economic independence through the sale of products from its three brands, ésika, L'Bel and Cyzone.

The company, operating in 13 countries, has strengthened its expansion in the Latin American market through beauty technology development. Its strategy includes offering digital solutions that help transform the consumer experience and provide personalized experiences across all channels.

Belcorp’s main channel of direct sales is through independent consultants who market products to their network of clients using catalogs and digital tools. Belcorp decided to enhance its digital offerings by including augmented reality (AR) virtual try-on experiences.

The Beauty of ésika. Belcorp  uses Perfect Corp. AI and AR technology to help its consumers find their perfect match.

Solution: AI + AR Solutions Provide Personalized Beauty for All

Belcorp recently integrated Perfect Corp.’s artificial intelligence (AI) and AR powered virtual try-on technology to provide a personalized online shopping experience for every customer. Perfect Corp. combines powerful AI with its industry-leading AR to provide stunningly lifelike virtual try-on experiences.

The experience allows customers to select from the thousands of products available through the ésika, L’Bel and Cyzone brands, virtually try on products and find their perfect shade. Belcorp plans to integrate this technology across Latin America, and has already launched virtual try-on technology in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Panama.

“Beauty and technology are like a marriage made in heaven,” says Venkat Gopalan, Chief Technology, Data and Digital Officer at Belcorp. “Beauty consumers have adopted new technologies such as AI & AR beauty tech much faster than other verticals. This also means that when a brand offers a virtual try-on experience, they need to have extremely strong AR and AI to create a hyper-realistic experience. This is what we get working with Perfect Corp.”

Belcorp uses Perfect Corp. AI and AR technology in a number of ways, including:

• Virtual Try-On. Belcorp is using Perfect Corp. technology to provide immersive AR virtual try-on experiences to its consumers across its product lines—from foundation, to makeup, to skin care.
• Skin Advisor. Belcorp provides its consumers with an exceptional service with its Skin Advisor experience, powered by Perfect Corp. AI and AR technology. Users enter the experience by simply scanning a QR code, and using their mobile device to take a selfie. Users are then shown a range of personalized shade suggestions. 
• Complete Makeup Looks with Virtual Try-On. For consumers interested in experimenting with different looks, Belcorp offers an exciting variety of custom looks that consumers can experiment with through virtual try-on. 
• Omnichannel Presence. Aware that its consumers seek increasingly personalized and immediate experiences across all shopping touch points, Belcorp is transforming into an omnichannel company. Using Perfect Corp. AI and AR technology, Belcorp offers exceptional brand experiences, including Skin Advisor and virtual try-on, across all available channels, from direct sales, to e-commerce, to social.  
• Empowering its More than 800,000 Consultants with Beauty Tech. Belcorp uses Perfect Corp. technology to provide its vast team of independent consultants with AR tools to build stronger relationships with their customers. “The beauty business is not just a simple online purchase, it is based on experiences and human relationships,” Gopalan says. “For this reason, through the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and augmented reality, we are able to provide 800,000 independent consultants with better tools to connect with their clients, understand their needs and provide them with personalized beauty advice.” 

Benefits of AI and AR Beauty Tech

Belcorp has enjoyed several benefits since deploying its Perfect Corp. AI and AR-powered virtual try-on, including:

• Giving shoppers an immersive and seamless omnichannel shopping journey
• Providing an ultra-personalized shopping experience to each customer
• Engaging and providing expert advice to consumers, no matter where they are located
• Giving independent consultants powerful digital tools to engage with their customers
• Longer time spent on brand websites, increased conversion rates, and larger basket sizes
• Using virtual try-on as a powerful tool for launching new products
• Success with hyper-realistic, advanced AI + AR technology: “nobody is close to Perfect Corp. in terms of product, innovation, and roadmap”

Virtual Try-On. Belcorp consumers love their ability to try products virtually before they buy.

Providing Consumers an Immersive and Seamless Shopping Journey with AI and AR

Belcorp uses its AR-powered Skin Advisor and makeup virtual try-on tools to give its consumers an immersive and seamless shopping journey.

“We want our consumers to find the right product at the right moment in their shopping journey,” Gopalan says. “This makes it critical that we provide a friction-free, seamless experience.”

Providing an exceptional AR-powered virtual try-on experience is an essential part of the shopping journey.

“Consumers today are demanding a hyper-realistic VTO experience,” Gopalan says. “We need to provide a completely immersive virtual try-on experience so they can see exactly how a product will look on them. Great AR is a must-have for any brand. With our own brands, we see great traction with our virtual try-on experience. Our consumers are loving it. ”

Try Before You Buy. Belcorp offers VTO for all of its product lines.

Providing an Ultra-Personalized Beauty Shopping Experience with AI and AR

Belcorp uses its Skin Advisor and virtual try-on tools to provide ultra-personalized shopping experiences to its customers. Gopalan notes that AR and AI help consumers break through the “paradox of choice,” or becoming overwhelmed by the product options.

“When we look at the funnel flow of the customer journey, the Skin Advisor and virtual try-on help consumers quickly find the products that best match their desires,” Gopalan says. “And once there, with VTO they can continue their exploration of colors and shades beyond their normal picks.”

Personalization is also enhanced by Belcorp providing consumers the ability to seamlessly share virtual try-on images with friends and family across social media.

“Personalization is strengthened through social connections,” Gopalan says. “They can share their looks with friends and family and social networks. They can get immediate responses: ‘Looks great! ‘That’s you!’ as virtual try-on becomes a social experience.”

Meeting Customers Where They Are Through the Power of Beauty Tech

The COVID pandemic accelerated a trend toward digital engagement in the beauty industry, and many of the changes are likely to be permanent, simply because they are so engaging and convenient.

“When people stopped  going into stores, the power of virtual try-on was magnified,” Gopalan says. “Virtual try-on became a benefit. Consumers realized they could do it from anywhere—from home, from work, while out and about—they discovered it was fun exploring products with virtual try-on.”

Gopalan sees this trend only growing. “We are integrating our virtual try-on experiences across all channels of engagement, from our site, to social media platforms, using e-mail and any other avenues,” Gopalan says. “Our goal is to make our experiences available to consumers from wherever they are spending time. We want to always be at their fingertips.”

Skin Advisor. Belcorp provides its consumers with an exceptional service with its Skin Advisor experience, powered by Perfect Corp.

Giving Independent Consultants Powerful Digital Tools to Engage with Their Customers

Belcorp has built its multinational business through providing opportunities for its more than 800,000 independent beauty consultants to develop valued relationships with customers, as they show how the company’s different products can enhance their beauty.

Pre-COVID, consultants frequently visited with customers in their homes, providing personalized beauty advice. With the arrival of COVID, new tools were needed, and the Perfect Corp. AR and AI powered Skin Advisor and virtual try-on have proven to be powerful solutions.

“Our AR experiences have been a dream come true for our consultants,” Gopalan says. “These are exactly the tools they need to continue to build their customer relationships at a time of virtual connection. They appreciate that we are working with such a strong partner as Perfect Corp. to create great experiences they can share with their customers. When our consultants have a conversation with one of their customers, they have this tool to use so the consumer can see exactly how colors or shades will look on their own face.”

Improved Website Engagement, Increased Conversion Rates and Larger Baskets

The dedication of Belcorp to deploying industry leading AR and AI to create immersive, hyper personalized shopping journeys for consumers continues to pay off for the company.

“We see higher dwell time on our site when our consumers engage with our virtual try-on and Skin Advisor,” Gopalan says. “We have seen a tremendous increase in conversion rates whenever consumers use our AR tools—100% to 200% higher conversion compared to those not using the tool. In addition to higher conversion rates, we are also seeing larger basket sizes. Our users are definitely connection with the immersive AR experiences we are giving them.”

Virtual Try-On is a Powerful Tool for Launching New Products

Belcorp has a well-won reputation for introducing new products to keep its lines always fresh, and virtual try-on has proven to be an effective tool for launching new items.

“A significant part of our revenue comes from new product launches as we introduce more than  150+ new products per year,” Gopalan says. “Product launches are significant for us, and the combination of our virtual try-on and Skin Advisor have proven to be powerful tools for introducing new products, and helping our consumers see how great they look. Whether looking at a new lipstick color or a shade, they can see exactly how they will look, using their mobile device from home or from wherever else they might be.”

“Nobody is close to Perfect Corp. in Terms of Product, Innovation, as well as Their Roadmap”

When Belcorp looks at AR/AI and other elements of beauty tech, it is always looking beyond today, into the future. This means it needs to work with a strong technology partner, which is what the company has found with Perfect Corp.

“Technology plays a very critical role in where we are heading as a company,” Gopalan says. “I believe in the power of ecosystems; we cannot do it all by ourselves. We need partners like Perfect Corp. bringing innovation, moving faster, and always learning so we are able to continue to evolve the hyper personalization of the shopper’s journey. Looking at the Beauty Tech space, nobody is close to Perfect Corp. in terms of product, innovation, as well as their roadmap.”

Perfect Corp. has also proven responsive to the specific needs of Belcorp products and its market.

 “When I deal with Perfect Corp.’s CEO, and other top executives with whom I work very closely, they have always been very responsive to our needs and eager to understand our nuances,” Gopalan says. “While the underlying AR and AI technology may be the same, the nuances for each of our brands and the consumer demographics are different. The Latin American market is a different from the North American market. The brand needs are different, the products are a little different, how things are positioned are different.”

State of the Art. Belcorp’s manufacturing plant in Colombia.

Throughout, Gopalan has been impressed with how closely Perfect Corp. works with Belcorp to meet its exacting standards and needs.

“Perfect Corp. is a true partner,” Belcorp says. “I don't see ours as a client-vendor partnership. I see ours as a partner-partner relationship. They are invested in our success. Toward that goal, Perfect Corp. asks for frequent feedback on how their teams are doing, how the products are doing. They ask for advice on how they can improve, and they listen. In fact, they use Belcorp as a sounding board for their product roadmap, and are welcoming and receptive to what we suggest.”

About Perfect Corp

Perfect Corp. is the leading SaaS artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) beauty and fashion tech solutions provider, dedicated to transforming the consumer shopping experience through innovative digital technologies for businesses and consumers. Recognized as the AI and AR powerhouse, our experienced team of engineers and beauty aficionados are pushing the frontiers of technology to offer results-driven, interactive, and sustainable digital-first beauty and fashion tech business solutions for brands and retailers. On the consumer side, with over 950 million downloads globally, the immersive collection of YouCam apps, including YouCam Makeup and YouCam Perfect, provide a platform for individuals to virtually try-on products, looks, and styles conveniently from their smart device.

Further information about Perfect Corp. can be found at perfectcorp.com