While e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands have made premium beauty products more accessible to customers, the inability to try on variants and see how they would look with a particular shade of lipstick or eye-shadow can lead to customers browsing through the product list end up confused and finally leaving without making a purchase. To solve this pain-point for both brands and customers, Taiwan-based Perfect Corp has come out with its AI-driven augmented reality solutions for Indian beauty and fashion brands, retailers, and e-commerce websites where customers can instantly, and virtually, try on makeup and other products. A host of Indian beauty brands, including My Glamm, Organic Harvest, St. Botanica, Mama Earth, Derma Co., and Sugar Cosmetics have signed up for providing this AR/AI enabled shopping experience to fickle customers.
“We aim to foster customer loyalty through the transformative power of virtual try-on technology by introducing our ground-breaking solutions to the thriving Indian market,” said Tanuj Mishra, country head, Perfect Corp. “We have recently collaborated with The Good Glamm Group to revolutionise the purchasing journey for Indian consumers in direct-to-consumer businesses.”
As a leading provider of SaaS artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) solutions in the beauty and fashion tech industry, Perfect offers interactive, sustainable, and Metaverse-ready solutions that seamlessly integrate into a brand’s website, applications, and in-store Magic Mirror solutions. Whether visiting the offline beauty counter, or accessing it from a home computer or mobile phone, users can look at their face, as if through a mirror, and see precisely how they will look with the selected products.
“AI-powered AR Virtual Try-On solutions are revolutionising the consumer engagement and sales of D2C firms in the beauty and fashion industry. We are leveraging these cutting-edge technologies to eliminate uncertainty, reluctance and transform how our customers interact with our products. Once they explore and experiment with a wide array of makeup looks through AI-powered tools, we are able to deliver them a delightful “try before you buy” experience,” says Vineeta Singh, co-founder & CEO, Sugar Cosmetics.
Facial 3D modeling, AI deep learning algorithms, facial diagnostics, and digital consultation solutions come together to offer this. For instance, with Perfect Corp’s AI Smart Shade Foundation Finder, users get foundation matching technology that uses an advanced AI deep learning algorithm that can detect the full spectrum of skin tones, including different skin types and undertones. The technology works by analysing a database of 89,969 shades with unlimited grades from light to dark, and true undertones from warm to cool. Then AR takes over so that the customer can immediately see the shade on her face—and instantly experiment with options. This entire matching process takes less than one second.
The company’s beauty tech SaaS solution offers a comprehensive set of modules such as Makeup Virtual Try-On which utilises advanced AI and AR technologies to allow users to virtually try on makeup products in real time.“We use our patented Agile facial tracking technology that enables an ultra-accurate virtual makeover with an extremely efficient performance,” explains Mishra. Then there’s AI Skin Diagnostic Tool which uses machine learning algorithms to analyse users’ skin conditions and provide personalised skincare recommendations. Looks Try-On module enables users to try on complete makeup looks created by beauty professionals or influencers. By offering this feature, an e-commerce site can help users experiment with different styles, encouraging them to explore and purchase a wider range of products. There’s also AR Nails Try-On and AR Hair Colour Try-On for virtually trying on different nail polish colours/ designs and hair colours respectively. It also offers a complementary suite of mobile apps, including YouCam Makeup and YouCam Perfect, to provide consumers a platform to virtually try-on new products, perform skin diagnoses and share experiences with the YouCam Community.
“Perfect Corp’s AR tools, including skin analysers and virtual try-ons, are effectively closing the gap between online and offline realms. These tools enhance customer interaction and personalisation, leading to a revolutionary shift in the overall customer experience,” says Deep Ganatra, group CTO, The Good Glamm Group. “As a result, they not only drive sales growth but also blur boundaries, shaping the future landscape of the retail industry.”
The Taiwanese company founded by Alice Change aims to increase its brand partnerships by five times by 2025. It claims to have facilitated 2.5 times boost in conversion rates for fashion and beauty firms, along with a 200% surge in sales for customers utilising its virtual try-on feature. “We have witnessed a 30% increase in add-to-cart actions and a double-digit reduction in customer support calls related to assistance with foundation shades, among other remarkable improvements,” says Mishra.
Top beauty brands such as Estee Lauder, Clinique, Ardell and MAC use Perfect’s beauty tech tools to drive customer satisfaction and achieve triple-digit sales conversions. One of its latest best-selling tools is the AgileHand Tracking Technology powered by AI neural networks. This is at the heart of several virtual try-on experiences and enhanced by the Physically Based Rendering (PBR) method, it simulates many real-life physics, including built materials, textures, micro-reflections, light scattering, and more.