The AR filters for social media and video calling applications from L’Oréal are a playful way to engage customers who spend a lot of time online during the pandemic. Although the filters are not intended to replace actual makeup, they will help the company encourage customers to try something different and consider the products of L’Oreal as they shop for cosmetics. For the company to attract young customers who are heavy users of social media and are most likely to buy its goods, digital marketing platforms have become more relevant.
According to its website the cosmetics giant’s “Signature Faces” augmented reality ( AR) filters are available on Instagram, Snapchat, Snap Camera and Google Duo.
L’Oréal ‘s latest AR activities come a few years after the company acquired Modiface, a cosmetics industry technology developer. The acquisition was part of its strategy to engage in digital interactions with online users, which proved to be particularly prescient as the pandemic continued to disrupt marketing campaigns for several brands.
The company has developed a range of customer AR experiences, along with its first Snap Camera lenses in April, enabling desktop app users to digitally try out looks from brands such as Garnier, Lancôme, L’Oréal Paris and Maybelline. After its Color&Co brand for at-home hair colouring introduced similar AR technology to its website, it also developed a demonstration of virtual hair colouring for its Garnier brand.
When customers who had stopped purchasing makeup at the onset of the pandemic came back, L’Oréal saw a rebound in revenue. During the September quarter, pent-up demand powered a gain of 1.6 percent in comparable sales to $8.27 billion, reversing the 19 percent decrease in the previous quarter as stores closed through lockdowns. Sales of cosmetics jumped 30 percent on a comparable basis, and e-commerce was particularly strong in the most recent period, with a 62 percent gain. The virtual makeup demos of L’Oréal will enable the company to communicate with online customers and drive further gains in e-commerce.
The integration of L’Oréal with the desktop Snap Camera app enables users to wear their virtual makeup on networks like Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Houseparty, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Twitch and Zoom during video calls.
