El Corte Inglés and L'Oréal Spain have rolled out a 'virtual mirror' that allows customers to test L'Oréal's makeup products online without having to apply them to their skin.
The Modiface artificial intelligence (AI) technology is available on the El Corte Inglés website and app.
The technology was developed by a Canadian technology company of the same name.
The company, acquired by the L'Oréal Group in 2018, specialises in augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
El Corte Inglés added that it was the first among Spanish retailers to incorporate the feature offered by L'Oréal.
Guillaume Sonolet, chief marketing officer of L'Oréal Spain, said, "It is a tool that generates consumer loyalty because it multiplies by four the time spent on the web or in the app, and purchases are doubled."
Unique Technology
The uniqueness of this technology lies in its realistic results. The simulation of the shade of the products is carried out automatically based on the information provided by the L'Oréal's makeup brands, which include Lancôme, YSL Beauté, Armani, Urban Decay, L'Oréal Paris, Maybelline NY, and NYX Professional Makeup.
Ana Alberola, head of perfumery and cosmetics at El Corte Inglés, said, "The operation is very simple, you have to enter the web or the El Corte Inglés app, choose the product and upload a photo or connect the device's camera to see how the product looks on the face without having to use it on the skin itself.
"With this realistic online tester, the customer will be able to see the effect of each product on their skin, lips or eyes."
Virtual Testing
Virtual testing services for cosmetics have contributed to the rise of e-commerce of beauty products in Spain.
According to Stanpa, the employer's association for the sector in Spain, the online channel grew 54% in the country.
Sonolet added, "The main lever for growth in the cosmetics sector has been e-commerce. If in 2019 it closed with 6% of the total share, in 2020 it was 12%, and we foresee that between now and 2025 a third of beauty [products] will be sold online."
L'Oréal Group expects to generate half of its global sales through e-commerce by 2025, from its current share of 27%, or a total of €7,000 million.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more Technology news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
