Woolworths Launches Augmented Reality Beauty Experiences
Woolworths is taking its quality in-store shopping experience online with the launch of two new, innovative digital beauty experiences. A first of its kind from a South African based beauty retailer, the introduction of Woolworths’ virtual beauty offerings will see the retailer deliver a unique online customer experience. The retailer says the new digital beauty experiences, Woolworths Virtual Try On and Virtual Consultations, are designed to help consumers reinvent their beauty shopping experience at home and gain more confidence before making a purchase online.
Woolworths Virtual Try On gives customers the opportunity to try on hundreds of shades of lipsticks, eye shadows, and mascaras. The feature creates realistic applications of these products through augmented reality that can be tested on any skin tone and allows customers to assess textures, colours and looks. Based on this initial rollout, Woolworths will then look to extend the Virtual Try On offering into its stores, providing interactive screens for customers to trial beauty products.
The retailer has also partnered with Estee Lauder and Clarins to reinvent Beauty Consultations, giving shoppers access to one-on-one, digital-based beauty consultations with beauty specialists from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Customers will be able to receive personalised skincare advice, product recommendations and application techniques, offering that human touch that everybody has missed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both of these experiences are complementary and aim to replicate the high-touch customer experience Woolworths is known for in store.
Over the past two years, Woolworths has been expanding its beauty business both in store and online, with the launch of key brands like Chanel, Clinique, Clarins, Bobbie Brown, Tom Ford, Smashbox and its own private label, WBeauty. Woolworths says, the unprecedented growth of online shopping over the past 12 months, alongside the health and safety protocols of testing samples in store, has ushered in a new opportunity to transform the beauty shopping experience.
The retailer now offers over 80 international and local beauty brands and, and these new experiences, offer a way for Woolworths to broaden its reach and interact virtually with customers in a more meaningful way.
To get started, shoppers can visit the Woolworths website via their mobile and desktop/laptop, select the ‘Beauty’ drop-down tab and click on the new ‘Virtual Services’ section. From there, customers can choose a product to sample, select ‘Try it on’, take or upload a photograph of themselves and then channel their inner beauty guru and test out a wide range of signature makeup products in just a few clicks. Click here to try it now.
Similar to what customers are used to in store, the Virtual Beauty Consultations are available for those who are looking for an interactive in-depth consultation with a Clarins or Estee Lauder advisor. Click here to find out more and try it now.