Companies
Sephora Employs Five Digital Tools To Give Customers Personalized Omni-Channel Experience
Beauty retailer Sephora uses five ways to provide customers with personalized services and tools, according to chief engineering officer Raghu Sagi. With everything starting with what the customer wants, the company lets customers virtually try on products through its Virtual Artist virtual reality tool. Launched in 2017, the Beauty Insider Community provides a virtual social network for customers, allowing them to link up with each other, ask questions, and receive recommendations. Whenever a customer approaches a Sephora store, the company's mobile app becomes the Store Companion tool which offers customers tips and product recommendations. [Image Credit: © Sephora USA, Inc.]
Sephora Is Using Personalization Tools To Enhance Customer Experience
Beauty retailer Sephora is focusing on personalization, using a range of tools across its channels, to meet growing consumer expectations for shopping experiences. These include the Virtual Artist try-on tool, applicable across various categories; the Beauty Insider Community, for followers of beauty trends to connect with others in real time; its mobile app and Store Companion tool, providing product recommendations and other useful information; guides for skincare and makeovers, including videos; and its new Skincare Advisor on Google Home, Sephora’s first voice tool, with which users can book in-store appointments, listen to beauty news and more. [Image Credit: © purplegillian from Pixabay.com]
Consumers
Almost Half Of Respondents Prefer To Use Virtual Beauty Advisors, Survey Says
According to a survey of female beauty consumers in the US from Automat, 49 percent of consumers they definitely would or are likely to use a virtual beauty advisor when shopping online or offline. Data revealed consumers prefer to shop with a virtual advisor because they have a hard time making purchasing decisions, with 70 percent of respondents saying they are overwhelmed by available beauty product choices. Among respondents who are likely to use an online beauty advisor, 84 percent prefer communicating with chat or text, with 43 percent saying they prefer retailers' websites as the channel for contacting virtual advisors. [Image Credit: © Perfect Corp.]
Innovations
Kanebo Subsidiary Launches MemoMi Digital Mirror Service
Japanese beauty brand Kanebo’s subsidiary, e’quipe, Ltd., plans to launch a service featuring the digital mirror developed by Silicon Valley-based MemoMi Labs Inc. Buyers of SUQQU brand of cosmetics can experience the service while receiving a Gankin facial muscle massage at some retail stores. According to the company, a built-in digital image recorder will record the facial massage session and sends the video to the customer’s smartphone.[Image Credit: © memomi]
L'Oreal Innovation Contest For Startups Focuses On Three Categories
L'Oreal Innovation Runway, the beauty company's startup challenge, will focus on three categories: personalized beauty experiences, sustainable innovations, and performance materials and products. South Korea-based Sketchon joined the L'Oreal Innovation Runway 2017, receiving research and development support and mentorship from the beauty company. In March 2018, L'Oreal acquired Modiface, which uses facial recognition and augmented reality to let consumers have a realistic preview of how a beauty product would look on them when applied. New Zealand-based Ethique's sustainable innovations include making and selling solid bar soaps, shampoos, and conditioners and earth-friendly packaging. [Image Credit: © L'Oreal Innovation Runway]
Samantha Bort Talks About L’Oréal USA’s Focus On New Technology
In an interview with The Drum, Samantha Bort, manager of digital innovation and entrepreneurship for L'Oréal USA, discusses the importance of new technology at the company. She said new technology needs to answer some key questions: why it exists and how it will improve the consumer’s experience, and also do the developers have a long-term plan for it that will benefit L’Oréal. In Bort’s opinion, AI is an exciting opportunity, enabling the company to provide a personalized experience at scale, highlighting the 2017 launch in the USA of the company’s first chatbot, for Kiehl’s on Facebook Messenger. She is currently most excited about “conversational commerce”, with chat and voice bringing new opportunities, and blockchain. [Image Credit: © Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.com]
L'Oreal USA Innovation Head Bort Discusses How Innovations Drive Her Company
L'Oreal USA manager of digital innovation and entrepreneurship, Samantha Bort, said she keeps abreast of the latest developments in technology and innovation by getting information from different sources. Also, she always thinks of herself as the consumer before the marketer and looks at the reason why a technology exists and how it will improve the consumer experience. Bort said her company has been using artificial intelligence to personalize the consumer experience at scale. She considers conversational commerce as one of the most exciting innovations, as well as blockchain and how it can be applied to the beauty industry. [Image Credit: © L'Oréal Corp]
Beauty Industry Embraces Augmented And Virtual Reality Technologies As Marketing, Customer Service Tools
Beauty brands are using augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to create customized strategies for differentiating themselves from the competition and for selling products and services. For example, makeup expert Charlotte Tilbury introduced a “Magic Mirror”, an AR-enabled device that lets users see their face wearing Tilbury's 10 beauty looks, when she launched her new Beauty Wonderland at Dubai Mall. Another sign of the growing importance of technology for beauty brands was L'Oreal's acquisition of AR mirrors pioneer ModiFace. [Image Credit: © CTBL]
FOREO Adds Artificial Intelligence Features To LUNA fofo Line Of Beauty-Tech Products
FOREO Institute is developing ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into its LUNA fofo line of beauty technology products. Founded in 2013, FOREO has been creating high-tech products for the beauty industry, as well as “sleek” product designs. Among the industry “firsts” the company has come up with include the first silicone cleansing brush.[Image Credit: © FOREO]
Research & Insights
New Study Highlights Growing Use Of Beauty Advisors
According to a new study by Automat, US beauty shoppers are embracing the use of advisors to provide tips and product recommendations. Beauty advice is now being channeled through new tools, including chat, as well as texting and live video. The survey found that 49% of respondents would definitely or likely use a virtual advisor when shopping online or offline, to help them navigate the growing number of options - 70% say they are overwhelmed by product choice. However, around two-thirds would prefer to browse in-store without an advisor, making it easier for advisors to reach consumers online. 78% prefer to look online before they buy in any channel. The study concluded that brands need to consider chatbots and artificial intelligence. [Image Credit: © Porapak Apichodilok]
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