Today, brands have every opportunity to launch innovative campaigns that utilize the best of modern technology to enhance user experiences. 2014 has seen the rollout of iBeacon technology to tie together online/offline purchase journeys, and the launch of new concept stores from the likes of Argos, and Thomas Cook have given us a glimpse of the role retail shopping can fulfill when approached with a digital mindset.
Technological innovation has also extended to content marketing initiatives that enhance the research and consideration stages of consumer purchase funnels.
Slate Cosmetics have launched a new mobile optimized site that allows users to sample different makeup and cosmetics products on an uploaded photo of themselves. The new site is powered by Looking Glass, a technology developed by Modiface, that provides an augmented reality layer that shows a preview of a product on touch, or on hover, when users are viewing an image on a website or app.
Rather than using an app, Slate Cosmetics have made the decision to implement the interactive content on a highly mobile optimized website, which will be launched in a cross-channel marketing campaign tied together closely with social media and organic search.
Interestingly, Slate is the first cosmetics brand to implement a 100 percent digital launch, with distribution only through ecommerce channels. It means that creating a augmented reality experience for users to try and sample products virtually even more important.
Previously, Procter & Gamble’s CoverGirl tested an early version of Modiface’s Looking Glass technology on Cosmopolitan.com. L’Oreal Garnier also implement the technology as part of their continued drive to progress innovative digital technologies. Successful makeup and beauty retailer Sephora is also using the technology at in-store kiosks in certain European stores.
And the technology does have one crucial benefit in addition to fulfilling a touchpoint in user experiences. As Slate Marketing Director Gentry Ford pointed out:
“[When] going to Sephora and having to try on a makeup that’s been used by countless other people. Who knows where those hands have been? We’re hoping to eliminate pinkeye all together.”
Digital Makeup Counters
A “soft launch” of Slate’s initiative is underway on social media, but this will soon be followed up by paid and native advertising in the peak of the crucial winter shopping period.
The interactive content initiative is a bold move from Slate, and the coming months will determine whether the ability to sample products digitally will meet consumer demands, and the tried and tested experience of using makeup counters in department stores.
However, the technology certainly has great potential. When consumers register with Modiface, they upload an image of their photo to the Looking Glass application. Assuming they leave their cookies intact, future implementations of the technology could see users seeing display advertisements featuring themselves as models, effectively bridging together makeup counters and magazines seamlessly within the online consumers experience.
While Slate’s example is specific to the cosmetics niche, the initiative fits into a much wider trend among digital marketers: personalized advertising and marketing efforts. This technology will be worth watching if consumers find it genuinely useful in aiding their purchase decisions.