December 25, 2023
| 6 mins read
Technological advancements and beauty brand marketing have always moved hand-in-hand. Moreover, for cosmetics & beauty companies, staying ahead in innovation is not just a strategy but a necessity in today’s digital economy.
As digitally savvy people occupy a massive chunk of the consumer market, blending the physical and digital can never be more critical. That is also what makes skincare marketing immensely challenging.
Beauty marketers must stay relevant while shining in the crowd. They must understand customers’ interests to find innovative ways to reach them and showcase their cosmetics formulations.
So, how do they even begin to keep up?
Answer: AR beauty. The cutting-edge technology, with its ability to overlay virtual elements onto the real world, offers an immersive and interactive dimension to beauty industry marketing.
Read on to learn about how augmented reality platform is redefining the skincare marketing paradigm.
Suggested Read:Augmented Reality in Business
The “One size fits all” approach no longer appeals to cosmetics shoppers. Indeed, 7 out of 10 customers expect brands to deliver personalised interactions. Additionally, brands that do not tick this checkbox trigger the frustration of 76% of customers.
Personalised beauty brand marketing campaigns executed at scale help brands demonstrate the value customers get from their personal data. Having a nuanced understanding of customers’ interactions, habits, and purchase history enables brands to curate more targeted skincare marketing.
Suggested Read:Technology Meets Skincare: How Beauty Tech is Changing the Game for Big Brands
As such, cosmetics manufacturers can seamlessly connect the dots between multiple devices and platforms to build a more comprehensive view of their customer profiles to tailor the shopping experience further. This personalised approach not only improves the overall customer experience but also establishes a sense of brand intimacy, fostering trust and loyalty.
Geo-targeted or location-based marketing leverages people’s current physical location to deliver targeted and contextually relevant promotions and discounts. For instance, let’s say someone is walking past a lipstick shop inside a mall. The brand can use augmented reality in beauty to offer shoppers virtual try-on experiences for their products when they are in proximity to a retail store.
Whether promoting specific beauty products available in nearby stores or offering location-specific discounts, geo-targeted skincare marketing enables brands to deliver hyper-relevant ads to potential customers. Plus, since people must be physically present in a particular location to receive the ad, the conversion rate typically exceeds that of other advertising forms.
With augmented reality in beauty, inspiring customers and delivering iconic looks have never been more innovative and modern. Users can virtually try on beauty products, from makeup to skincare, in real-time through AR-enabled filters or apps. Wearing your brand’s digital cosmetics is something that users will remember and gladly share on their social media.
Moreover, beauty brands can encourage community building by creating hashtags or challenges related to their AR experiences. This not only increases engagement but also solidifies their brand presence within a dedicated community of beauty enthusiasts.
Before making a purchase, people want to know as much as possible about a cosmetics product. In-store, they can interact with, try on, or explore a beauty product, but what about when out-of-store? AR creates interactive and engaging experiences that bring products to life straight from print materials, including magazines, posters, catalogues, or flyers.
For instance, readers can scan the pages of a cosmetics magazine to identify a product in an image through a mobile AR app and unlock the immersive experience. Then, they can virtually try on makeup, experiment with different hairstyles, or visualise skincare products directly within the pages of a magazine or promotional material.
In addition, skincare brands can turn their print cosmetics marketing strategy into a sales channel using AR. People can scan the print ads to browse a brand’s eyeliner range, get recommendations on their perfect shade, and place a purchase for it directly from the page.
Implementing augmented reality in beauty marketing requires a strategic approach to ensure a seamless and engaging experience for customers. Here are some best practices to consider:
Before integrating AR into your skincare marketing strategy, understand your target audience deeply. Research thoroughly to identify their preferences, behaviours, and expectations. This includes analysing demographic data, customer insights, and market trends to tailor AR experiences that resonate with customers’ needs and expectations.
In an era where people seek authenticity and relatability, digital influencers act as influential conduits between brands and their target audience.
Collaborate with influencers to display your beauty products in a real-world context, offering their followers the transformative effects of beauty products. Digital influencers integrate your AR features, including virtual try-ons or interactive tutorials using AR filters.
Such strategic partnerships extend the skincare marketing campaign's reach, tapping into the influencer's established audience and using their expertise in content creation.
Track the number of app downloads, user interactions, and engagement metrics, such as time spent within the AR experience. Conversion rates, reflecting the transition from AR exploration to actual product purchases, are essential indicators of the cosmetics marketing strategy’s efficacy in driving customer actions.
Besides, gather user feedback through surveys, reviews, and social media sentiments to understand the emotional resonance of AR-enabled beauty brand marketing. Analysing qualitative data helps brands refine AR content, addressing customer preferences and enhancing overall satisfaction.
Further, employing advanced analytics tools that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) digs deeper into user behaviour patterns. Click-through rates, heatmaps, and user journey analyses unveil specific areas of interest within the AR experience, helping brands optimise content placement and improve user engagement.
People say, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” Within the context of the digital revolution, beauty and beauty products now lie in AR solutions.
In today’s era, where people spend less on things and invest more in gaining experiences, AR-driven cosmetics marketing strategies will gather pace. The numbers are here to back it up: AR/VR adoption in cosmetics & beauty will surge at a phenomenal 25.5% CAGR from 2022 through 2027.
Besides, Millennials and Gen Z already make up an increasingly considerable portion of the space – the following generations will only be more technologically literate. These people are the future of beauty brands, so keeping them happy is critical to thrive going forward.
Have a digital-first mindset, and do not miss out on the opportunities that AR brings to the table in beauty brand marketing.
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