Beauty retail and the subsequent consumption of beauty and cosmetics is highly personal in a way that most other retail is not. Beauty personalisation technology taps into that. After all, it’s hard to imagine a foundation or a perfume becoming as popular as the infamous Zara polkadot dress and with good reason, since cosmetics are ultimately highly personal and created to adapt to skin and hair in a way that is wildly variable. Beauty products can also not be returned in the same way, and the act of picking which ones best suit or even treat a particular complaint or desire can sometimes seem like a complex balancing act, solved by the introduction of beauty personalisation technology.
This means that the act of buying cosmetics and other beauty products should sometimes have more to do with experience than fashion does. For example, walking into a shop and asking for help at the concession stand, an activity that is felt as experiential, even if the act of having a trained second opinion means it’s an experience that can take less time than a fashion shopping trip.
Beauty AI can add immeasurably to the sense of an experience created. Identifying the particular skin type and issues of the customer, and doing based on both patterns and information provided. Information provided by the customer themselves can even be, for some, part of the experience itself. There is nothing that many people like to, or at least can, talk of so much about as themselves and that is why certain websites have been able to curate a large and loyal following based purely on personality quizzes like, “What kind of Swiss cheese are you?” and “What vintage decade best suits your body shape?” Beauty personalisation technology allows for similar introspection.
People like to be asked about themselves, and the notion that a beauty retail website promises to do so and then can pick a cultivated selection just for them is just another extension of saying, “Congratulations! You’re an Appenzeller cheese.” except, this time, with real world benefits and gains that help both the customer and the retailer or beauty or cosmetics company they are buying from.
The adaptation of a website to allow for maximum user friendliness, ease of use in finding the right things and provision of a personalised selection is also something that ought to be considered by cosmetics retailers and beauty companies, and something they ought to exploit as much as possible. The gains made by a company able to deliver the right content at the right time to the right customer can not be underestimated, increasing conversion rates while also reducing any sense that the customer might have of being subject to paid advertising, the ill-ease that can be felt when casually relaxing and being bombarded with a dozen adverts that are eerily tailored to their personal tastes. Beauty personalisation technology is experiential and increases sense of trust.
From the point of view of the customer, they can make their choices more quickly, more confidently and comfortable in the knowledge that their needs and desires are being catered for in a way that they have allowed for, and in a way that is personal to them.