Brands like NUDE, Chanel and Birchbox are using tech to match you with bespoke beauty products so that your look is as personal as possible.
Beauty shoppers are expecting more than just a stand packed with powders, lipsticks and primers when they enter a beauty hall. Brand leaders in beauty are using tech to help people completely individualise their purchases. Have your skin type identified and learn how to look after it, try a new look using augmented reality, or tweak an off-the-shelf item to your exacting tastes. These kinds of interactions are what is driving research firm Gartner’s prediction that within the year “89 percent of companies believe that customer experience will be their primary basis for competition”.
Pop-up Personalisation
Skincare brand NUDE created the Skin Nutrition Bar in the Selfridges Beauty Hall to help visitors understand their skin type, recommend suitable cosmetic products, and suggest a dietary program for healthier skin. This was all achieved with a few taps on a counter mounted iPad and then topped-off with a mini-facial, the results of which the customer was encouraged to share online with a photo and a hashtag. Their personal skincare profile was emailed to them so that their experience continued outside of the store, promoting lasting usage and increased loyalty.
Chanel’s Butterfly Garden in Selfridges seamlessly integrated technology into its tranquil exhibition of seasonal make-up. Amongst pastel-leaved trees, playful swings and white picket fences, customers explored the new Chanel Summer range on floorstanding iPad displays, personalising new looks which were then immaculately applied as part of a complimentary makeover. Visitors who made purchases also left with limited edition gifts, however every visitor left with a memory created from their own style choices.
From online only to bricks-and-mortar
Birchbox has been sending personalised beauty sample packages via online subscription for years, and has now ventured into the offline world with a retail space in SOHO, New York. Their 800,000 subscribers are more than familiar with tech-enhanced shopping, so it comes as no surprise that Birchbox is using iPad kiosks in store to help customers explore the entire range, examine reviews, and view helpful tutorials. By recreating their online presence in a retail format, Birchbox has been introduced to new customers from all over the world, many of which will now embark on their own beauty subscription adventures.
Use hyper personalisation to help, not hinder
In the highly competitive beauty sector hyper personalisation is about helping customers make informed decisions based on their preferences, not flooding them with endless options. Using technology to help customers find the best fit for their style aspirations enables beauty brands to get one step closer to a coveted space in customers’ make-up bags.