Tag: makeup

L’Oréal Launches Virtual Reality Salon For Hair Stylist Training

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
L’Oréal has found an interesting way to use VR technologies to improve its Matrix Academy program, a branded training program for hairstylists. Working with VR software startup 8i, L’Oréal will be offering hairdressing classes via a room-scale volumetric VR experience, which allows trainees to walk around the room, view the hairdo from different angles, and even step into the instructor’s virtual body and learn how to style the model’s hair from a first-person view. The goal is to enable aspiring hairstylists to learn the latest hair techniques and hone their skills without having to travel for their training.

What Brands Should Do
This initiative showcases a rare enterprise use case for brands to leverage burgeoning VR technologies to modernize their training programs. Moreover, this VR initiative also points to a future that beauty-related branded content can evolve into. In recent years, makeup tutorials and product review videos have gained significant traction on sites such as YouTube and Instagram, giving rise to a slew of beauty vloggers and influencers. The possibility of extending such educational VR programs to let consumers learn makeup skills in an immersive virtual experience would be a truly exciting way to attract beauty customers.

The Lab currently has four VR headsets — an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Image Credit: 8i Medium post

Why Lush Cosmetics Wants To Launch Its Own Video Channel

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Lush Cosmetics has big plans for its branded content. The U.K.-based cosmetics brand hosted a two-day creative showcase last week that featured a number of new product launches. Unlike previous showcases, this time Lush employed seven film crews to capture the chat show-style event and turn them into video content for Lush’s new app and online player. The brand is also planning to launch its very own 24/7 video channel in “early 2017” as a hub for its branded video content.

What Brands Should Do
As digital video consumption continues to increase, brands need to seize the opportunity to develop interesting and engaging branded video content that can capture consumer attention. One noteworthy strategy in Lush’s aggressive plan for branded video is diversifying its content beyond product demos and makeup tutorials to include relevant topics that its customers care about, such as animal testing. With more and more consumers opting for time-shifted viewing enabled by streaming services, it should also aid content discovery if brands have the resources to create their own channels or apps on OTT platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon TV to reach more viewers.

To learn more about how brands can develop a content strategy for reaching their audience via the OTT streaming services, check out the Appified TV section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Digiday

Header image courtesy of Lush Cosmetics’ livestream

Sephora Expands “Beauty Workshop” Concept Stores

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Sephora is expanding its “Beauty TIP Workshop” concept store to Canada as the beauty and makeup retailer continues to push for an omnichannel approach. The new Sephora store in Toronto features an expanded Beauty Studio, which offers complimentary makeovers and product recommendations via Sephora + Pantone Color IQ touchscreens. It also has tablets running Sephora’s “Fragrance IQ” to let shoppers browse and learn more about the perfumes.

What Brands Need To Do
Those digital integrations are designed to make the physical store part of the omnichannel experiences that also includes online, mobile, and social channels in order to appeal to customers across platforms. Previously, Sephora also inked a partnership with messaging app Kik to reach mobile customers with a chatbot and support for in-app purchases.

The Lab has extensive experience working with beauty and fashion brands to reach shoppers on digital channels. Our recent work with NYX Cosmetics that includes a digital beauty bar that innovatively incorporates social and mobile elements into the sampling experience. If you’d like to learn more about developing a mobile strategy to reach connected shoppers, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: GeoMarketing

 

Sephora Improves Mobile Shopping With Tinder-Inspired Feature

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Beauty retailer Sephora took a cue from popular dating app Tinder to design a new shopping feature on its mobile site. Dubbed “”swipe it, shop it,” this feature borrows Tinder’s famous swiping mechanism to guide shoppers through a series of looks. Each look resembles a Tinder card that users can either swipe left to dismiss or swipe right to add to their shopping cart. To promote the feature, Sephora will also use Tinder’s polling feature to give out free makeup samples on the dating app in September, making it the first beauty brand to buy ads on Tinder.

What Brands Need To Do
By adopting the swiping mechanism, this fun feature shows Sephora is tuned into an interface experience that today’s consumers have grown accustomed to on mobile. Other brands developing features for their ecommerce portals, be they websites or apps, should take note and learn to design it in a mobile-friendly way that presents a user experience that matches with consumer behavior. The Tinder ad buy is a complementary move for this campaign, showing that Sephora is willing to try out new platforms to reach mobile consumers. More brands should start looking into native ads in popular apps to bypass ad blockers and connect with consumers.

The Lab has extensive experience working with beauty and fashion brands to reach shoppers on digital channels. Our recent work with NYX Cosmetics that includes a digital beauty bar that innovatively incorporates social and mobile elements into the sampling experience. If you’d like to learn more about developing a mobile strategy to reach connected shoppers, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: AdWeek

 

Why Rimmel Created A “Shazam For Makeup”

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Rimmel is the latest cosmetics brand to leverage the smartphones in consumers’ pockets to create a new touchpoint to engage them. The London-based makeup brand launched a “Get The Look” app that works like a “Shazam for makeup.” The iOS app, created in partnership with agency Holition, captures the shape and color of the makeup on a scanned face, be it a real person or a photo of a celebrity, and recommends the closest match in Rimmel’s product catalog. Users can then proceed to try on the matched Rimmel products virtually and purchase them via Google Shopping. The company says integration with its online shop and other ecommerce assets are in the works.

What Brands Need To Do
A number of makeup brands have created useful apps to enable virtual sampling and try-on, including Covergirl’s BeautyU, Sally Hansen’s ManiMatch, and L’Oreal’s popular Makeup Genius app. Unlike those apps, Rimmel’s new app primarily focuses on aiding product discovery. It provides shoppers with a handy tool for identifying similar makeup and copying looks, thus creating true value for customers while pushing its products. More beauty brands could benefit from a mobile touchpoint to engage with their customers and build long-term relationships.

The Lab has extensive experience working with CPG and beauty brands to reach shoppers on digital channels. Our recent work with NYX Cosmetics includes an innovative take on in-store sampling with a digital beauty bar where shoppers can follow interactive makeup tutorials and try on different looks digitally or in person. If you’d like to learn more about developing a mobile strategy to reach connected shoppers, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Forbes

Header image courtesy of Rimmel