How Augmented Reality (AR) Affects Small and Large Beauty Brands

Virtual makeup using augmented reality (AR) is quickly becoming the go-to for small and large beauty brands. It has evolved the way consumers interact with beauty products. With its rise, small and large businesses are using this technology to drive product decisions.The effects of AR on small and large beauty brands are different, but both take advantage of the technology to boost sales, customer experience, and engagement. AR is helping to bridge the gap between the online and physical shopping experience. Beauty brands can incorporate this technology into their offerings to gain a wider consumer reach and make their products more accessible across audiences.

Impact of AR on small brands

AR is working to level the playing field for small brands. It can help the brand to reduce product wastage by reducing sample and tester kits thus lowering marketing costs. At the same time, if a brand’s product is available on a virtual makeup try-on app, consumers can make purchasing decisions without having to test a physical product. Thus, AR helps these small brands gain a level of visibility without the need for sample distribution.The use of AR for a small brand may also give it a unique edge over bigger brands that have not incorporated AR into their market offering. Through AR and virtual makeup tools, these small brands can get direct customer feedback, which can boost engagement. Small brands can also save costs by reducing the rate of product returns, as AR can help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.

Impact of AR on big brands

As big brands make heavy investments in AR, the returns are resounding. Big beauty names are gaining wide reach through the development of apps and websites that are available globally. Through AR, they can expand their market on a larger scale, while providing personalized experiences for their consumers with virtual beauty. Big brands also use this technology to break into other aspects of the beauty industry by introducing new products and collecting customer feedback to finesse their marketing strategies. They can also use AR to double down on sustainability as it may reduce product returns and wastage. Large brands can invest significantly in the quality of their virtual makeup technology, thus providing a better and cleaner experience for their customers. Advanced technology can also give them unique offerings like customized product recommendations. Lastly, large brands can use virtual makeup apps to create a simplified omnichannel experience for their consumers.

Challenges of AR in the cosmetics industry

While AR has great potential, it faces some challenges in the cosmetics industry. AR quality has improved greatly, but there is still a long way to go. This is one of the industry’s greatest challenges, as many AR tools are not developed enough to accurately capture the information needed for a smooth virtual makeup try-on. Another challenge stems from the technology’s inability to caption skin tone representation, overtones, and undertones properly. Some concerns with using AR stems from the fact that the technology cannot depict product texture and smell, which are major cues that affect purchasing decisions. Many consumers are reluctant to buy products they cannot feel or smell. As AR’s reach widens from makeup to hair and skin care, new constraints arise due to its inability to render color changes properly. Significant investment in testing and development is needed to overcome these challenges.

Conclusion

AR has its merits for both small and big brands. For small brands, the technology can help them gain a wider reach, save costs, and reduce waste. For big brands, AR can help them stay on top of the market, providing their users with a customer-centric experience that highlights convenience and customized service. The use of AR, however, is not without its challenges, as the technology is still being developed to cater to different aspects of the beauty industry. Technology faces challenges in quality, color rendering, and lack of representation of specific audience profiles. Many brands have a lot of work to do to ensure their virtual makeup technology gives the most realistic result, and to make sre customers can depend primarily on them to make purchasing decisions.