Perfect Corp

Alice Chang

As beauty and fashion brands begin to implement retail strategies for 2022, technology will be integral for creating immersive shopping experiences for customers. As consumers turn to digital channels and in-store experiences for product advice, AI and AR technology solutions, in particular virtual try-on technology, has emerged as one of the most effective drivers of customer engagement. These are four reasons why AI and AR-powered technology will be at the core of retail success in 2022.

AI + AR Technology is Essential for Digital Transformation:

In the past 2 years, AI and AR technologies have become essential to drive personalized shopping experiences and valuable interactions with consumers. As the world navigates the pandemic, consumers have become more conscious of hygiene and safety, making it even more imperative for brands to embrace digital technologies that will enable touchless, engaging shopping experiences. Perfect Corp.’s AI + AR solutions, including its AI Smart Shade Foundation Finder, YouCam Tutorial makeup learning platform, and virtual try-on technology have emerged as must-have experiences for the beauty shopping journey.

"In order to build meaningful connections and loyalty with consumers, brands will need to embrace AI + AR technology as a key component of their digital transformation strategy"

With consumers turning to digital channels for product advice more than ever before, brands across the beauty and fashion industries have quickly adopted virtual try-on technology to enhance the omnichannel shopping journey while providing the personalization consumers are seeking. These technologies allow consumers to virtually try-on various products in seconds without ever touching a physical product. This allows each consumer to have a hygienic and personalized shopping experience, allowing them to find the best possible product fit all while browsing from their smart phone or laptop.

As a result, these enhanced experiences and advanced technologies have become table stakes for brands across beauty and fashion. Consumers are now expecting the personalized shopping experiences that AI + AR technologies provide. In order to build meaningful connections and loyalty with consumers, brands will need to embrace AI + AR technology as a key component of their digital transformation strategy.

AI + AR Technology Drives Sustainable Business Practices:

Moving into 2022 and beyond, consumers will continue to prioritize brands that are committed to sustainable business practices. As brands consider the most effective ways to decrease their carbon footprint and minimize harmful impacts on the environment, AI + AR technology will be key.

Each year, the beauty industry alone creates 120 billion units of plastic packaging. With AR-powered virtual try-on technology, brands can significantly reduce the amount of product and packaging waste created during retail operations. These technologies allow consumers to test and try-on products through a fully-digital platform, eliminating the need for excess physical product samples and packaging. In this way, AI + AR technologies can help brands across the beauty industry minimize their environmental impact, promote more sustainable business practices, and ultimately help brands meet their ESG goals. In a recent case study with KAO Corporation, the company was able to reduce plastic waste by 56 tons per year after implementing Perfect Corp.’s AR virtual try-on technology. Perfect Corp.’s AI + AR virtual try-on technology has also been awarded Green Product of the Year by Business Intelligence Group, further emphasizing the need for these technologies in creating more sustainable business practices in beauty.

AR Technology Will Be Essential for Success in the Metaverse:

Looking ahead to 2022, retail companies across all industries will need to consider how their brand will integrate and come to life in the metaverse. For beauty and fashion brands, AR technology will be an integral aspect of retail experiences in this new space. Whether implemented in a virtual store or through an immersive experience, AR technology will allow consumers to virtually try-on and interact with products in the metaverse. It will bridge the gap between browsing a brand’s product assortment and seeing how that product would look and feel when worn. For beauty brands, AR technology will allow consumers try on makeup in the metaverse as they browse the brand’s virtual store, helping each customer find their perfect shade.

AR Virtual Try-On Technology will Elevate Brand NFT Strategies:

As the world embraces the metaverse, NFTs will play a larger role in the digital transformation strategy of beauty and fashion brands. Perfect Corp. is an AR powerhouse for digital asset creation and is well positioned to help brands take their NFT strategies to the next level with AR virtual try on. To date, Perfect Corp. has one of the largest libraries of beauty and fashion AR/AI digital assets. As beauty and fashion brands prepare to enter the metaverse, these assets have significant value and can be easily adapted to engage consumers in this new world. As we move towards the metaverse, Perfect Corp. will help beauty brands digitize their product SKUs, and transform these digital SKUs into NFTs which can ultimately be sold to consumers and virtually worn in the metaverse.This will unlock a brand new revenue stream for beauty brands and bring beauty products to consumers in an innovative new way. These true-to-life digital assets for lip color, eye makeup, foundation and more can be harnessed by beauty brands in virtual stores and NFT marketplaces as brands look to begin their journey in this new retail channel.