Finding the fit. Finding the colour, the design, the shape. That’s what the customers are after and now they’re searching online.
But just like everything else, e-commerce is changing – and it’s changing fast. The customers want to commit to online shopping but still try the products on, one way or another. And the beauty industry is no different. Nearly 40% of consumers are more comfortable shopping beauty products online now, compared to pre-COVID trends. And you have the potential to give this growing number of potential shoppers the missing element of online shopping – (spoiler alert!) the virtual try-on (VTO).
Customers Choose Virtual Try-On
Even though there’s a steady growth in the number of online beauty shoppers, 56% of consumers are more likely to stick to brands or products they have bought before. That is no small percentage. And, the road to reaching that untapped customer base is through offering them something new – something they need, something immersive and creative. 2021 customer trends show that 25% of buyers see the ability to virtually try-on or test a product as something that would encourage them to buy a product when shopping online.
25 percent. That’s not something to overlook. Because it’s 2021 and it’s no longer enough for a brand to be online and offering choices. You need to be transformative in all steps of the buying journey. Also, you can support this transformation by integrating the VTO technology in-store and redefining the role of your stores. You will get to simultaneously digitize and automate some of the in-store workload as you switch to fully offering an omnichannel, unique customer experience both online and offline.
When it comes to beauty and cosmetics, the VTO technology truly presents a win-win situation. One, combining both Augmented Reality (AR) and computer vision grants the shoppers their virtual makeover moment and allows them to explore and try on products. And two, it gives you a chance at collecting behavioural data. You can give more personalised suggestions, while your customers can venture out to different categories and products as the trying-on experience now only takes seconds. And a bonus: this shopping journey won’t have the shoppers reaching for a make-up remover afterwards.
Digital Experience is Important!
With AR, you get to create a digital buying experience that allows the customer to buy with more confidence, having digitally sampled the product. This will translate into less bracketing and less returns will translate into, simply, more profit for you. You will have a more sustainable business model and reach a segment of shoppers (33 to 44 per cent!) that stays away from buying products online to avoid having to make returns.
KPMG’s consumer survey predicts that “brands with the ability to reach customers in or close to their own homes, and those willing to consolidate infrastructure to more easily enable this, will likely be the success stories.” So going into 2022, strive to become the success story by adding the virtual missing piece to your digital strategy and stay ahead of the competition that is only a click away.
