Why every cosmetic brand needs an AR makeup try-on in 2023

• 10 Oct, 2022
• by Ivona Androic

After living in a virtual-first world for over two years, consumers now consider digital tools, such as AR makeup try-on, a necessary part of their shopping journey. So, the question is – is your beauty brand keeping up with consumer needs?

If not, you should get on board quickly if you don’t want to be playing catch-up in the coming years.

Why? Because a recent study suggests that by 2025, nearly 75% of the global population and almost all smartphone users will become frequent users of AR.

And if that’s not enough, here’s another staggering fact. If you advertise your beauty products with AR, you’re in for a whopping 94% higher conversion rate. And that’s something you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

So, how does this work, and why is augmented reality makeup taking the beauty industry by storm? What changes and trends are we expecting in 2023, and what are all the benefits you stand to gain?

Read on as we delve into it in more detail! 

We are living in a virtual world

The pandemic has turned our lives upside down, without question. It changed our daily routines and habits, and some of them, we’re not that keen to let go.

Take convenience, for example. We’ve discovered the beauty of shopping for anything and everything we need from the comfort of our homes.

And when it comes to cosmetics and beauty products, we’ve discovered that we don’t need to actually put them on our faces to see if they look good. For that, we now have virtual makeup try-on, i.e., augmented reality makeup.

But with cosmetics, it goes beyond simple convenience. You may have noticed that you’re more reluctant to use testers nowadays. Why is that? Because many have already used it before you, and the pandemic has taught us to pay more attention to health and hygiene.

Keeping up with consumer behavior, needs, and wants is a must. And what your consumers need right now is to be able to shop online – AND try your products online. So, what this means for your beauty brand is that you can no longer rely solely on in-store testers and in-store shopping.

Now, let’s dive deeper into these consumer needs and changes. Follow along, and you’ll discover how they’re affecting the beauty market, how your brand can keep up, and how you can benefit and grow from them.

Driven by digital tools and AR, the beauty market is expected to exceed $716B by 2025

The beauty market has been experiencing a significant transformation over the last few years, and it will only speed up in the future.

Driven by new technologies, digital tools, and new customer needs, the beauty industry is creating safer, more efficient, and harmonious products for customers’ preferences and lifestyles.

One such tool is makeup AR – and customers are very much on board with it:

• Only 1/3 of makeup users are still okay with using self-testing products or the so-called “testers” in-store.
• 59% of consumers say they would be likelier to purchase a product they’ve seen visualized through AR.

• More than 90% of Americans currently use or would consider using AR for shopping.
• And when it comes to in-store shopping, over 1 in 4 consumers (26%) would like to have self-service options and other digital tools (such as virtual try-on).

Here, it’s important also to acknowledge that there are still customers that like to shop in brick-and-mortar stores. More specifically, over 70% of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers prefer it. But that doesn’t mean they don’t like the convenience and comfort of virtual try-ons.

Moreover, this tells us that retailers will have to create buying journeys that function well no matter the path a customer takes. Whether it is an online or in-store shopping experience, digital tools now play a big role in making it great and successful.

And it is precisely through these digital tools, which offer higher quality and convenience, that the beauty market is expanding so fast. According to market predictions, the beauty industry will exceed $716B by 2025.

Will you be a part of this growth?

Well, if you want to be, you shouldn’t think twice about incorporating AR makeup try-on into your business strategy.  

But if you’re still on the fence, let us help you make that step forward. Read on as we present some of the undeniable benefits of makeup AR for your beauty brand. 

What an AR makeup try-on brings to the table

The benefits of AR makeup try-ons for beauty brands are numerous. Here, we explain some of the most notable ones.

1. Future-proof your business with AR makeup try-on

The virtual and AR try-on technology will not only assist you in providing customers with an amazing, personalized buying experience. It will also give them a quicker and more enjoyable way to try things on – whether online or in-store.

By providing something unique like this, you’ll successfully set yourself apart from the competitors. And once AR technology becomes a “must,” you will have the upper hand. So, by taking the initiative now, you are setting yourself up for success both now and in the future.

2. Analyze purchase patterns and consumer behavior

Beauty tech and AR makeup are all about individuals and providing them with tools that allow increased personalization. You want to give your customers exactly what they need, and with the help of virtual try-ons, you can do that more easily.

With AR makeup try-ons, you can analyze purchase patterns and consumer behavior by incorporating intelligent algorithms, thus creating safe, efficient, and effective products that are in demand. You can offer product recommendations, keep track of the products that are selling the most, and adapt your offer to meet the real needs of your customers.

3. Reduce return rates, get more repeat customers

Returns are something that most businesses dread, and with the rise of e-commerce stores, especially during the pandemic, return rates were sky-high. Why? Mainly because customers haven’t had many quality solutions for trying out the product before buying it.

But virtual try-ons are changing things. On average, brands that use them have seen 64% fewer returns. Because when your customers buy with confidence that the product is an excellent fit for them, you’ll waste less resources on refunds, shipping, and packaging costs when the product is sent back, and build a more sustainable, trusted brand.

4. Reduce shopping cart abandonments, increase sales

As we’ve mentioned before, 59% of consumers say they would be likelier to purchase a product they’ve seen through AR. And the reason is simple. AR makeup try-ons help customers learn about the different types of makeup you offer and how to apply them.

They allow customers to experiment with different looks, see how the makeup will look when applied in real life, and, ultimately, find the products that best suit their needs.

This can also help increase sales as customers will discover products they might not have known existed and be more likely to purchase them when they see how those products fit them.

5. Create a holistic makeup experience

AR makeup try-on allows you to create and offer a holistic, fully personalized makeup experience for your customers. This means that you give them the opportunity to try your product on any channel they’re comfortable with or that’s available to them. They can do it on your web, mobile app, or in-store on special virtual try-on hubs.

This way, you are meeting your customer’s needs anytime and anywhere, letting them know they can rely on you, thus building trust with them and turning them into repeat customers.

6. Higher customer engagement and market reach

Augmented reality makeup try-ons are also a fun and interactive way for customers to engage with your brand. They allow customers to explore different looks and find out what works best for them, which can result in increased loyalty and advocacy for your brand.

This can also lead to repeat purchases, as well as positive word-of-mouth marketing for your brand. 

Now that you’ve learned more about the advantages of having a virtual makeup try-on, you’re probably wondering how to create one.

And that’s exactly what you’ll discover next.

How to create your AR makeup try-on

A virtual try-on is something that should be fully personalized for your brand and the type of products you have. It should be simple to use and present the products as realistically as possible.

And that is exactly what we offer at Visage Technologies. Our technology is proven, tried, and tested, used by 300+ clients worldwide, and flexible enough to meet the unique objectives and requirements of each client.

Our makeup|SDK allows you to:

• Create true-to-life digital representations of physical products
• Instantly visualize different products and looks
• Get a perfect fit in real time
• Experience realistic colors and textures
• Easily integrate AR makeup features into your iOS, Android, and HTML5 application

In addition, with our makeup|SDK, you also get great flexibility in how the product is developed and which features you need. For example, you can integrate the AR makeup technology on your own or let our custom development team, with 20+ years of hands-on experience, handle it for you.

We can also develop new features that meet the specific needs of your brand, such as face analysis.

But whichever direction you choose to go, some of the fundamentals of creating the AR makeup try-on always stay the same.

Our makeup|SDK combines face tracking and 3D rendering with the goal of creating the perfect virtual makeup experience.

It’s integrated with our face-tracking technology that tracks faces in real time while detecting 99 facial points. This is the basis of virtual makeup try-on, and it ensures the desired object – such as eyeshadow or lipstick – stays in place even when the user moves their head.

This creates a mirror-like experience, where all the user has to do is turn on their camera. Our wide range of supported devices and real-time processing always ensure the optimal experience with minimum user input.

We aim to create highly faithful representations of your beauty products. This means we pay great attention to different color shades, textures, finishes, special effects, dimensions, and all other required features.

And finally, we provide you with a high-grade final solution that you can integrate and use on the platform of your choice – iOS, Android, or HTML5.

Stay ahead of the curve – get a personalized, top-notch AR makeup solution

AR makeup try-on is becoming an invaluable tool for improving the in-store and online consumer experience. And with it, it’s become crucial in increasing your overall business growth.  

AR allows customers to experiment much more easily and reduces moments of hesitation or uncertainty when shopping. It is, therefore, well on its way to becoming a standard stop on every customer’s journey.

We can safely say that AR makeup is the future of the cosmetic industry, so you should make sure your brand is a part of that future, too. How? By creating your try-on makeup ASAP. And we can help with that!

Whether you want a fully customized solution or are developing your own and need state-of-the-art technology, you can count on our experienced team to meet all your needs.

Get in touch with us to explore our makeup|SDK and try out our live demo!