BW Confidential - Issue #15 - September/October 2013 - (Page 48)

Digital Beauty apps Pulling out all the apps How the beauty industry can better use app technology by Naomi Marcoulet T he beauty app is no longer viewed as a novelty. Thanks to a raft of innovation, which ranges from makeover tutorials to ingredient checkers, apps are becoming almost as important to the beauty routine as the product itself. “Consumers love to download apps. Our guess is that at least several hundred million beauty apps have been downloaded to date,” says Parham Aarabi, ceo and founder of beauty app developer ModiFace. The latest developments include dual video and mirror functions, so the user can watch a tutorial while applying a product, and imaging borrowed from facial recognition surveillance technologies, to help consumers track skin conditions. Meanwhile, retail apps are making shopping easier and faster, enabling consumers to browse by promotions, trends or prices, while accessing product reviews at the same time. In addition, in-store staff and beauty consultants are being equipped with app technology to better communicate with their clients. For example, consultants at Mary Kay can use the company’s Virtual Makeover App to make their direct-selling businesses a ‘mobile marketplace’. The app can gather client information, organize appointments, bookings and sales, and can also be used to communicate with the client, and send samples and looks, says Jill Wedding, director of consulting marketing at Mary Kay. “If a sales force member is having a party to show customers her product, she can pull up our Show and Sell App to customize her presentation, focusing each customer on the products they’re interested in purchasing in a visually rich content,” explains Wedding. “We’re currently working on a few projects that will streamline our ordering process, both for consultants and consumers, making for a more simple shopping experience, and tying mobile devices into the desktop experience”. content, or even worse, rebranding Flash content, comments Aarabi. “Many brands believe that they can take content from their site (including Flash apps), rework them for Making it relevant Given the slew of apps launching, however, experts stress the importance of making them pertinent. A common error is rebranding web mobile, and call it a day.” On the other hand, apps that allow consumers to try on products or new hairstyles, or to accessorize, resonate with users, both in ratings and downloads, he adds. 48 credit: istock “ Mobile apps are primarily functional tools that consumers use when they have a need, and a content consumption device second. The most popular beauty apps ‘do’ something for consumers ” ModiFace ceo and founder Parham Aarabi “Mobile apps are primarily functional tools that consumers use when they have a need, and a content consumption device second. The most popular beauty apps ‘do’ something for consumers.” Daniel Joseph, founder and director of The App Business agrees: “It’s still early days, and it’s not too surprising that the majority of beauty apps are gimmicks shooting for short-term attention. But what we’re excited about is creating ‘product companions’ that help audiences get more out of the products that they accompany.” For an app to be used daily, it must be true to a purpose. “Try to meet a million needs and you will fail. Meet a valid, universal beauty need—however small—and you earn the right to become a daily habit,” claims Joseph. Joseph evokes the possibilities with smartpackaging, where the app in the packaging connects to the product to help the consumer gain more benefits from the contents. “Beauty is a hugely personal, high-frequency routine,” he continues. “And your smartphone is an increasingly knowledgeable, personal device, always at hand.” It therefore makes sense to fuse the two to ensure that beauty advice, or services, too, will always be at hand. September-October 2013 - N°15 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #15 - September/October 2013

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
Brand & retail news recap
Companies on the move
Take note Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW Highlights from our e-publication
Launches The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview Origins, Ojon & Darphin global president and gm Jane Lauder
Insight: Fragrance creation
Category overview
Industry views
Emerging markets
Consumer data
Role of the perfumer
Retail
Store strategy
Store concepts
Digital Beauty apps
Market watch: Chinese consumers
Overview
Shopping habits
Online sales
Radar A profile of six up-and-coming beauty brands
Travel retail: Inflight sales
Sector analysis
Channel innovations
Emerging markets Company profile: Marico
Packaging
Make-up analysis
Make-up innovations
Last word The Young Group’s Karen Young on industry trends and technology

BW Confidential - Issue #15 - September/October 2013