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TREND #5


matching and shade stylist tools. Why would you need to test a product when AI can accurately determine the best product for you? We could also imagine how touchless application scenarios could play out between staff and customers with the help of misting technology in devices such as Reduit.” The touchless skin care device enables customers to apply product in a more hygienic and easily absorbed way while also reducing waste. Further possibilities for innovation can be inspired by how consumers have traditionally sought to experience beauty products in-store. “The desire to touch products, particularly in a store environment, comes from consumer curiosity around the efficacy of the product in general or/and the suitability of the product for themself as an individual,” says Houghton. Yet there are now an array of technologies, from intelligent devices to material innovations, that will enable beauty to become less reliant on touch in the future. “If we can find intelligent ways to demonstrate or interpret tangible properties such as product weight, texture etc, then it should be just as effective as any touch-driven experience,” says Houghton. “This is where AR try-ons or AI-led experiences must get smarter. They must consider an individual’s face nuances. When you’re trialling a foundation or concealer digitally, you still want to be able to determine its coverage ability and as well as its suitability for your skin’s texture, not just whether the shade matches your tone.”


Michelle Smith ‘‘ Reaching communities


As we move into a post-Covid world, there is no doubt that touchless tech solutions in-store will play an increasingly vital part of the


retail toolkit Michelle Smith, Executive Business Director, Landor & Fitch


“As we move into a post-Covid world, there is no doubt that touchless tech solutions in-store will play an increasingly vital part of the retail toolkit,” says Smith. “These solutions will extend beyond just product trial and into all facets of the retail experience, so we can expect to see innovation continue at a rapid pace.”


Retailers can consider how touchless tech can create a link between the in-store experience and the online community, says Smith. “Embracing new behaviours like QR Codes and geo-location will not only enrich the individual experience, but ensure that every moment on the journey is a chance for content capture and shared experience.” Curbside pick-up, or click-and-collect, is also here to stay. In the UK, there was an 32% increase in retail shops offering click-and-collect in 2020, while in the US 85% of US shoppers have increased curbside pick-up compared to pre-Covid 19, according to a report from Manhattan Associates. But the report also found that shoppers find current pick-up experiences lacking, with 81% of shoppers rating three stars or lower when asked about availability of preferred pick-up date and time. Such findings indicate that retailers can take steps to make the experience more convenient and frictionless. Last month, Space NK launched its Express Click and Collect service enabling customers to collect their order within one hour.


cosmeticsbusiness.com


TECH SPOTLIGHT: HOLITION


Digital retail agency Holition has developed touch-free iterations of virtual try-ons or magic mirrors for use in-store. CEO Jonathan Chippindale tells Cosmetics Business how it works


“During the pandemic, we reimagined our virtual try-on experiences into a touch-free format, which adds an additional layer of QR or motion gesture control technologies, to deliver the same hyper-personalised experience, but now in accordance with hygiene-led or social distancing concerns. “Instead of the more


traditional virtual try-ons where users need to click on buttons to trigger the experience, these added technologies remove the process of touching any screens, and instead enable users to access the experience straight from their mobile phones or by standing on hotspots in store to trigger or launch the in-store experience.”


But how far could touchless solutions change beauty retail in the future? Could it, one day, go fully touch-free?


Smith believes: “No retailer – let alone beauty retailer – can truly go ‘touchless’ long-term. Yes, touchless tech and trial solutions are part of the answer, but a renewed focus on hygiene is far more important. Beauty is a service-led, highly sensorial category where staff expertise, scent, texture, and application methods all play a key role in the purchasing decision. How retailers build long term solutions that invite and build customer confidence in hygiene will be vital for success”


ACTION POINTS


Retailers should focus on technology that uses customers’ own mobile devices to create a more consumer-centric experience. 5G, QR codes and geo-locations can all help connect customers to brands and their online communities. Michelle Smith, Executive Business Director, Landor & Fitch


In addition to AI and AR-based touchless tech, retailers can also look at material and packaging development and innovations such as those with self-cleaning properties. Livvy Houghton, Senior Creative Researcher, The Future Laboratory


May 2021 cosmetics business 15


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