Revieve and JCPenney unveil AI-AR tech to optimize skincare and make up shopping
09 Sep 2022 --- JCPenney, in partnership with Revieve, is introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) skincare advisor and a hyper-real augmented reality (AR) makeup try-on technology to personalize the customer shopping experience. JCPenney strengthens its position as the “go-to inclusive in-store” and online shopping destination through this partnership.
“This is the first time a US retailer simultaneously bets on personalizing the shopping experience across two beauty categories,” Sampo Parkkinen, CEO and founder of Revieve, tells PersonalCareInsights.
JCPenney is unveiling an AI-powered skincare advisor experience and realistic AR-powered makeup try-on capabilities to become a one-stop shop that celebrates customers’ individual, authentic beauty. JCPenney Beauty is the retailer’s new, “fully inclusive” beauty experience.
JCPenney’s Skincare Advisor uses Revive’s proprietary Skin Diagnostics technology and AI-powered product recommendations (Credit: Revieve).“We’ve observed that companies that personalize their shopping experience with AI or AR-powered technology see significant returns across several business metrics: average order value increase, better return on ad spend, higher conversions, customer engagement and thus revenue,” continues Parkkinen.
“For example, one of our clients, Marionnaud, has seen 223% better conversion rates among customers that use our solutions. Moreover, one of our brand clients, Skin First, has seen that 18% of their revenue comes from our solutions.”
Improving customer experience?
JCPenney’s Skincare Advisor uses Revive’s proprietary Skin Diagnostics technology and AI-powered product recommendations to create a seamless, end-to-end experience that allows customers to find a personalized skincare routine with a picture.
“With the AR-powered makeup try-on, they can try endless makeup products and find their favorite beauty product. While with our AI Skincare Advisor, they can curate their routine and get one step closer to achieving their optimal skin health,” Parkkinen adds.
Visitors to JCPenney’s website can take or upload a selfie and answer a brief questionnaire about their skin type and issues to receive an in-depth skincare analysis and tailored product recommendations.
“In the case of JCPenney, this further strengthens their newly launched concept, ‘JCPenney Beauty,’ as it brings a personal touch to customers when buying beauty products online,” he continues.
After an in-depth analysis of the user’s skin, Revive’s proprietary Skin Diagnostics technology analyzes more than 120 skin parameters to deliver JCPenney Beauty products and customized skincare recommendations.
JCPenney is offering a collection of digital makeup and skincare experiences as part of this partnership with Revieve to serve all customers better, satisfy their various requirements, and enable them to engage with retail in innovative ways.
“Retailers must prepare to provide customers with a rich and omnichannel experience to deliver on their brand promise whenever and wherever their customers prefer to shop,” stresses Parkkinen.
Benefits of digital beauty experiences
Revieve explains that customers are usually flooded with hundreds of product options and it isn’t easy to select the right products, especially in the retail environment.
“Even when Gen Z and Millenials are skin-savvy generations, beauty is a category for people of all ages, genders, locations, skin types and makeup preferences. That means the need to educate consumers about their skincare needs and virtual try-on products is something the retail industry should be doing across all brand channels and touchpoints,” says Parkkinen.
“Moreover, when companies personalize their customer experience, they are helping consumers contextualize all their purchases. It means customers don’t have to spend money on products that are not right for their skin or that they haven’t previously tried on.”
“What’s most important is that JCPenney’s customers and JCPenney are building a deeper customer-brand relationship when delivering upon customers’ immediate needs and concerns,” he adds.
The digital solution allows customers to find a personalized skincare routine through a selfie image (Credit: Revieve).Regarding how the digital try-on experience differs from similar online innovations, Revieve notes that AR-powered makeup try-on solutions have had a historically bad reputation for being gimmicky and using face filters, which means that companies do not help the customer make an informed purchase.
“When they [consumers] realize what they were sold doesn’t look and feel like them – especially with filters applied – it makes the experience unrealistic. Thus, consumers might feel disappointed and not purchase again,” says Parkkinen.
“We’ve never used filters in our AR-powered makeup try-on and have gained the reputation of being a hyper-realistic solution that doesn’t conceal customers’ skin imperfections.”
The rise of digital beauty
The COVID-19 pandemic has made digital beauty products more well-known; L’Occitane Group’s start-up Duolab partnered with Revieve to introduce its Online Skin Diagnosis tool. The business has experience creating individualized digital experiences for the beauty, skin, and wellness sectors.
Previously, Revieve created an AI Makeup Advisor experience in collaboration with Shiseido. The platform was designed for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Revieve also teamed up with The Best You to bring a variety of skincare products and cosmetic treatments to the Canadian market, establishing a new standard in virtual medical diagnostics.
By Nicole Kerr
