Bondi Sands Sees 162% Boost in Site Dwell Time with Perfect Corp. Virtual Try-On for Self-Tanning Products

Situation: Preparing to Introduce New Self-Tanning Product Technocolor 

Home of the sand, sea and sun, the brand Bondi Sands is inspired by the iconic Australian summer and the desire to bring confidence to its global community through healthy, glowing skin. Established in 2012, Bondi Sands quickly rose to cult-status as the number 1 Globally Best-Selling Self Tan and Suncare brand, bringing the iconic Australian lifestyle to its consumers all year round. The Australian-made, high-quality formulas work to give glowing, healthy skin that hydrates and nourishes with each application.

“Bondi Sands is always looking to innovate and push the boundaries to enhance our consumer experience,” explains Clare Picot, Director, Marketing, at Bondi Sands. “Our product development team spent a number of years creating our new line of Technocolor self-tanning products which provide the optimal level of DHA and hydration for each skin type and tone.”

The company created its Technocolor Shade Finder Quiz to guide consumers to find the best Technocolor shade to match their own skin—and wanted to provide an industry-leading virtual try-on experience so consumers could see the results for themselves before making their purchase.

Solution: Using Perfect Corp.’s AI/AR-Powered Virtual Try-On 

Bondi Sands selected Perfect Corp.’s AR Makeup Try-On technology, which harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and  augmented reality (AR) to enable consumers to see exactly how products will look on their own body. Perfect Corp. is the leader in providing AI/AR solutions for the beauty industry. 

Bondi Sands created a Technocolor hub on its website, where consumers can take the Technocolor Shade Finder Quiz to help determine their skin type.  At the end of the quiz, a Technocolor product is suggested and consumers can use virtual try-on to see exactly how each shade looks on their own skin. Consumers access the virtual try-on experience via their mobile camera or webcam on a desktop, seeing the self-tan product on themselves with hyper-realistic results.

 The immersive shopping experience is powered by Perfect Corp.’s award-winning AI/AR technology, allowing customers to experiment virtually to find their perfect shade. While Perfect Corp.’s AR Makeup Try-On technology has become table stakes in the color cosmetics industry, Bondi Sands is the first company in the self-tan category to leverage Perfect Corp.’s virtual try-on technology.

The Bondi Sands Technocolor range includes four shades that feature tailored formulas to cater to all skin tones: Sapphire, Emerald, Magenta, and Caramel.

While the first Technocolor product release was a body self tan, the consumer response was so strong that Bondi Sands has expanded its lineup with a product for use specifically on the face—in the same four shades.

Benefits

Bondi Sands has found a number of benefits in working with Perfect Corp.’s AR Makeup Try-On technology, including:

• 162% longer consumer dwell time when engaging with virtual try-on
• 60,000 QR code scans driving to the virtual try on experience from stores within the first 90 days
• Very high usage amongst Gen Z and Millennials
• Enhanced personalization in shopping journey
• Technology helps provide an inclusive shopping experience for all customers
  

162% Longer Dwell Time When Engaging with Virtual Try-On

Bondi Sands sees that consumers spend significantly more time on the company’s website exploring its Technocolor products when they engage with virtual try-on.

“The combination of our Technocolor Shade Finder Quiz and our augmented reality virtual try-on creates a more personalized experience for our consumers,” Picot says.

In addition to seeing themselves with the suggested shade, consumers can see how the other shades look on their skin as well.

“People love to have something that is personalized to them and that gives them the chance to see, through augmented reality, exactly how products will look on them,” Picot says. “Our consumers enjoy engaging with our virtual try-on and exploring different shades to see how each shade looks with their skin tone. We see a 162% longer dwell time for those using virtual try-on.”

360 Degree Customer Engagement: “We Saw Over 60,000 QR Code Scans from Stores Within the First 90 Days”

Bondi Sands sells its products through major retail outlets around the world, including major outlets in the U.S. such as Walmart, Walgreens, CVS-Target, and Ulta. 

The company has found that it can continue its customer engagement from retail shelves through use of packaging QR codes that give shoppers the ability to experience the virtual try-on experience of Technocolor from store aisles as well as from home.

“As a brand, we work with a wide network of retail partners, so our main objective isn't to drive sales online, but to drive consumer engagement,” Picot says. “To provide more of a 360 degree consumer experience, we have a QR code on the back of our Technocolor products in stores, which drives to the quiz and our VTO technology.”

“By tracking use of QR code scans we can see that consumers are picking product from store shelves and engaging with our Technocolor Shade Finder Quiz and our augmented reality virtual try-on,” Picot says. “We saw over 60,000 QR code scans from stores within the first 90 days. We’re confident that such point-of-purchase engagement drives conversion.”

Virtual Try-On Provides “Very High Penetration for Gen Z and Millennials … Digital Savvy Consumers”

While Bondi Sands has loyal customers across all age groups, it finds that its use of Perfect Corp. virtual try-on technololgy is a great way to engage with tech-savvy segments.

“We've got a very digital savvy customer base,” Picot says. “Our Technocolor Shade Finder Quiz combined with our virtual try-on is gaining us very high penetration of the Gen Z and Millennial consumer and beyond because virtual try-on technology is very integrated into their lifestyles, and shopping habits.”

This is why the company recognized the importance of bringing AI/AR-powered virtual try-on to its Technocolor product line.

“While our consumers were familiar with using virtual try-on for makeup, they had never experienced it before for self-tanning. So their  reaction has been really positive, especially for those who may have concerns around finding the perfect shade for themselves and not wanting to get a result that might look unfavorable on their skin.”

Virtual Try-On Provides Powerful Personalization

In preparing to go to market, Picot’s colleagues were among the first to try the Shade Finder Quiz and virtual try-on experience.

“Pretty much everyone in our office took the opportunity to try the virtual try-on technology and really enjoyed the experience,” Picot recalls. “We were excited to see how well it worked for ourselves, and we remain proud to be the first that we know of to bring virtual try-on to self-tanning.”

The excitement about personalization is shared by Bondi Sands consumers.

“The feedback across the board has been really strong,” Picot says. “Everyone loves that we’re providing a personalized approach to self-tanning. It's not one size fits all. The response to the personalization of our quiz and virtual try-on has been incredible.”

Building Upon Success: Deploying Product and VTO for the Face

The success of the Technocolor body range—driven in part by the Technocolor Shade Finder Quiz and virtual try-on— led the company to expand the range with a face product, where virtual try-on will play perhaps an even stronger role.

“While working with our same four shades for body, we’ve modified Technocolor for specific use on the face—as a serum formulation with additional hydration and skin centric ingredients,” Picot says. 

The new offerings make use of the Shade Finder Quiz and virtual try-on, which is expected to provide even more value for the face products.

“We feel that virtual try-on will be even more impactful for the face products,” Picot says. “Consumers are very interested to see how different shades will look on their face, and virtual try-on is a powerfully effective way to achieve this.”

Virtual Try-On Helps Enhance Inclusiveness

Bondi Sands continues to focus on driving change in the market for an inclusive and results-driven self-tanning experience.

“We understand that self-tanning is a unique experience for each individual, and we are committed to pioneering products that set new standards in the market, ensuring they are inclusive and cater to the diverse needs of our customers” says Bondi Sands Founder and President Shaun Wilson.

Picot says the sense of inclusiveness is especially seen with the Technocolor shade Caramel, created for deeper skin tones.

“We have consumers who say they would have never considered a self-tanning product, who see that Technocolor gives their skin a warmth and glow,” Picot says. “Our campaign models have specifically mentioned how the extra hydration and other self-tanning ingredients in the product add to their natural beauty. One told us ‘It makes a world of difference that I didn’t expect.’”

Virtual try-on helps consumers of all skin tones to discover the impact of Technocolor for themselves.

About Perfect Corp. 

Perfect Corp. is the leading SaaS AI and AR beauty and fashion tech solutions provider, dedicated to transforming shopping experiences through empowering brands to embrace the digital-first world. 

By partnering with the largest names in the industry, Perfect Corp.’s suite of enterprise solutions delivers synergistic, technology-driven experiences that facilitate sustainable, ultra-personalized, and engaging shopping journeys, as well as equipping brands with next generation of consumer goods.

Perfect Corp. offers a complementary suite of mobile apps, including YouCam Makeup and YouCam Perfect, to provide a consumer platform to virtually try-on new products, perform skin diagnoses, edit photos, and share experiences with the YouCam Community. 

To learn more, please visit PerfectCorp.com.