Starboard Group Sees 35% Increase in AI-Recommended Sales Using Perfect Corp.-Powered ‘SkInsight’ Skin Analysis

Situation: Elevating the Cruise Shopping Experience

From its origins in 1958 charting new courses in the duty-free industry, Starboard has always been more than just a retailer, serving as curators of vibrant experiences that enrich every vacation. As the world’s leading vacation retailer at sea, the company has perfected the art of creating memorable shopping moments across more than 90 ships, partnering with 15 world-class cruise lines.

Starboard Group’s luxury division is creating a unique boutique experience for luxury travelers by hand curating elevated retail collections and experiences for sophisticated travelers on ocean ships, yachts and adventure-based expedition vessels. 

Recognized time and again for its innovation and quality—garnering accolades such as DFNI-Frontier Americas Travel Retailer of the Year and Global Cruise Retailer of the Year—Starboard Group continues to set the standard in travel retail.

Headquartered in Miami, with additional offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Genoa, Italy, Starboard and its sister company Onboard Media are proud members of Global Travel Retail Holdings, LLC—a forward-thinking joint venture with LVMH and Gissy Investments, poised to lead the next wave of travel retail innovation.

Constantly innovating, Starboard Group wanted to enhance its retail experiences by providing guests with a fun, engaging, and immersive AI experience to help them find the best beauty products, personalized for their own skin conditions.

Solution: Perfect Corp.’s AI/AR-Powered Skin Analysis Technology 

Starboard Group selected Perfect Corp.’s skin analysis technology, which harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and augmented reality (AR) to enable consumers to understand their precise skin condition. Perfect Corp. is the leader in providing AI/AR solutions for the beauty industry. 

The company worked closely with Perfect Corp. in the creation of Starboard Group’s SkInsight, the AI/powered skin analysis tool at the heart of its “Beauty for All” initiative, aimed at creating immersive and fun experiences for cruise guests visiting the company’s onboard beauty shops.

Guests entering a Starboard Group onboard store are greeted by an attractive display featuring an iPad, with a welcoming message on the screen inviting them to experience the AI/AR-powered SkInsight.

The SkInsight digital experience delivers detailed skin assessments to guests in seconds, covering a range of conditions including, texture, moisture, firmness, wrinkles, dark circles, and radiance, along with uniquely personalized recommendations for skincare regimens featuring products available for purchase onboard. SkInsight also provides a great conversation starter for the store’s onboard beauty advisors.

Starboard debuted the SkInsight experience on Carnival Jubilee in December 2023 and now offers the AI solution at retail stores on ships across Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages and TUI Mein Schiff fleets.

Benefits

Starboard Group has found a number of benefits in working with Perfect Corp.’s AI/AR skin analysis technology, including:

• Using their AI-powered SkInsight as a welcome beacon to attract guests
• Giving onboard guests an immersive and fun experience with SkInsight
• Providing Starboard Group Beauty Advisors with a powerful point for customer engagement
• 35% increase in AI-recommended product sales
• Ease of use
• Works across all skin types

Using Their AI-Powered SkInsight as a Welcome Beacon to Attract Guests

Starboard Group places their SkInsight displays as a welcoming beacon toward the front of their onboard stores.

“At Starboard, we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the shopping experience for our guests,” says Catherine Jenkins, Senior Marketing Director at Starboard Group. “With SkInsight, we saw an opportunity to introduce cutting-edge AI technology that delivers personalized beauty recommendations in a fun and interactive way. Cruise guests are eager for tailored experiences, and SkInsight allows us to provide expert-level skincare insights instantly.”

Skinsight includes friendly marketing messages on the iPad screen, inviting people to come in, take a picture, and learn about their skin, and about the products Starboard provides for every condition.  

This super friendly on-screen marketing pays off. Jenkins notes that the iPad display is so inviting and simple to use that guests approach without feeling intimidated by the technology. A guest walks up to the iPad, places their face in the nicely lighted framed area, and in a matter of seconds, their photo is captured, and then the AI analyzes their skin across a number of dimensions, and generates a customized report unique to every single individual that walks up, with an overlay of all those areas on the face.

Additionally, Starboard’s shipboard Beauty advisors are welcoming guests to scan their face, which provides a great conversation starter for what products they might like. 

Giving Onboard Guests an Immersive and Fun Experience with SkInsight

Starboard Group sees its SkInsight as more than just a technological innovation, they see it as a revolution in how it engages with beauty and as a bold leap into the future of retail, setting new standards for inclusivity, personalization, and guest engagement. 

By seamlessly integrating AI and AR into the cruise experience, they’ve transformed beauty shopping into an immersive, memorable adventure that resonates with every guest. Starboard’s commitment to creating a diverse, welcoming environment where everyone can discover their unique beauty shines through in every aspect of its “Beauty for All” initiative and SkInsight personalization.

“The magic of SkInsight lies in its ability to blend technology with personalization,” Jenkins says. “In just seconds, guests receive a detailed skin analysis and tailored product recommendations, making it both informative and entertaining. The instant gratification factor is key—guests love seeing their results unfold in real time. Plus, the interactive nature of the experience creates a memorable shopping moment.”

Providing Starboard Group Beauty Advisors with a Powerful Point for Customer Engagement

Starboard Group Beauty Advisors like the SkInsight experience because it provides a powerful point for customer engagement. It also provides a great starting point for the company’s talented Beauty Advisors to share their extensive knowledge to help guests find the right products to address skin concerns.

“While the AI-powered technology provides impressive skin analysis, our beauty advisors are essential in bringing the experience to life,” Jenkins says. “They guide guests through their results, explain the benefits of AI-recommended products, and provide expert advice tailored to each individual’s needs. Their personal touch ensures that guests not only understand their skincare concerns but also feel confident in their purchasing decisions.”

35% Increase in AI-Recommended Product Sales

Providing guests with an engaging, immersive, and fun experience that increases dwell time within its onboard stores has resulted in significant increases in sales.

“The numbers speak for themselves—introducing SkInsight has had a tangible impact on both engagement and sales,” Jenkins says. “The interactive experience naturally drives higher conversion rates, as guests are more inclined to purchase products that are specifically recommended for their skin. The 35% increase in AI-recommended product sales highlights the power of personalization in retail.”

Ease of Use

Perfect Corp. worked with Starboard Group to create a skin analysis experience that is easy for guests to use, easy for Beauty Advisors to use, and simple from an administrative perspective.

Perfect Corp. developed a tailored solution for Starboard Group, specifically designed to address the challenges of operating at sea. With offline functionality and no reliance on internet connectivity, the solution ensures seamless performance in maritime environments, aligning with the unique operational demands of onboard retail.

“AI is redefining the way travelers engage with retail, bringing greater personalization, convenience, and interactivity to the shopping experience,” Jenkins says. “In cruise retail specifically, AI-powered solutions like SkInsight offer a unique way to elevate guest engagement, providing expert insights in a fraction of the time.”

Works Across All Skin Types

People from around the world board cruise ships, so it was essential that Perfect Corp. AI technology works across all skin types.

Starboard Group is impressed with how the Perfect Corp. technology enables SkInsight to serve all guests, from wherever they might be.  Jenkins notes this is especially important their guest mix is sourced from around the globe. 

Building Immersive and Impactful AI Experiences

Starboard Group is happy with how their Perfect Corp.-powered SkInsight has helped to increase guest engagement and sales of their beauty products.

“One of the main challenges was ensuring a seamless integration of AI technology into our onboard retail environment,” Jenkins says. “Cruise retail presents unique logistical and connectivity challenges, so we needed a solution that could function reliably at sea. Perfect Corp. worked closely with our team to fine-tune the software for optimal performance.”

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.