According to industry sources on August 11, Nature Collection, a beauty lifestyle shop in Gangnam, is running a ‘smart store’ integrated with digital technologies that offer customers a variety of unique experiences.(Image:LG)
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The cosmetics industry is making various attempts to broaden and capture more of the domestic market, including initiatives to take advantage of IT-based services combined with state-of-the-art technology such as makeup consultation provided by artificial intelligence (AI).
According to industry sources on August 11, Nature Collection, a beauty lifestyle shop in Gangnam, is running a ‘smart store’ integrated with digital technologies that offer customers a variety of unique experiences.
Visitors to the store can experience an application called My Makeup Today, which features an AI makeup specialist that can evaluate a user’s makeup techniques and offer makeup tips. The application rates makeup based on an analysis of pictures submitted by the user.
The app gives detailed scores in five categories including base, eyes, shading, lips, and eyebrows, provides the knowhow of how to remedy shortcomings, and, moreover, recommends a list of helpful cosmetics products.
Outside the store at the ‘Makeup Display Zone’, a diversity of digital content regarding makeup knowhow, product specifications, and color developments can be experienced.
Makeup brand Etude House is also providing a color-picking service through Facebook Messenger, recommending products in colors that best match the lips of customers after images are submitted by users and analyzed.
VDL, another makeup brand, is opening Color Intel 2.0, a cosmetics color matching system developed in cooperation with Pantone, a world-class color consulting company.
Color Intel 2.0 is a service that features a database of Asian women’s skin color, each year’s color trends, and product-usage environments, and recommends the optimal lip, eye, and skin color products for any walk-in customer after measuring their skin with state-of-the-art equipment. The number of service shops is gradually increasing, starting from six including one at Garosu-gil.
Innisfree, another domestic cosmetic brand, has opened its second Green Lounge shop at CGV Wangsimni in April this year, following the original outlet at Yeouido Station.
Green Lounge offers a twist on a powder room where customers can test and check cosmetics products as much as they want for free without any interruption.
Department store AK Plaza is operating Tag-on Beauty, a participatory zone where customers can experience, off-line, cosmetics brands only sold on-line.
Nearly half of the customers who tried cosmetic products at the self-makeup trial zone went on to actually buy the products.
J.A. Kang (jakang@koreabizwire.com)
