Nearly two years after beauty retailer Sephora pulled up stakes at JCPenney and defected to Kohl’s, the 120-year-old department store is launching its own digital makeup and skincare experiences.
In a new partnership with Revieve, a brand experience platform that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality (AR), JCPenney will offer an AI-powered skincare adviser and AR-powered makeup try-ons.
The new skincare adviser tool uses customers’ selfies to provide personalized skincare routines and make product recommendations. Shoppers can also take advantage of Revieve’s skin diagnostics technology by answering a questionnaire about their skin type and concerns.
The technology comes after the launch of the department store’s branded counters, called JCPenney Beauty, offering more than 170 products. The in-store and digital experience launched in 2021 to replace Sephora.
The Revieve tool uses “more than 120 skin metrics to provide users with an in-depth analysis of [customers’] skin, and offers JCPenney Beauty product recommendations and skincare education tailored to their needs.”
The effort is meant to serve customers better, help them experience retail in new ways and “deliver on JCPenney Beauty’s promise of being a one-stop-shop that celebrates customers’ unique, authentic beauty,” according to the retailer.
“We want to be the shopping destination of choice, offering a personalized approach that fully celebrates and honors them as unique individuals,” added chief merchandising officer Michelle Wlazlo in a statement. “Our partnership with Revieve allows us to deliver on our customers’ desire for personalization regardless of age, gender, race, skin tone, beauty regimen or budget.”
This follows a trend in recent years among beauty brands to incorporate AR technology—particularly after the pandemic changed consumer shopping behaviors.
L’Oreal, for example, acquired AR beauty platform Modiface in 2018 to enable virtual try-ons.
Since then, other beauty brands such as Aveda and Estée Lauder, as well as retailers like Ulta Beauty, have also experimented with the technology.
Original post: https://www.adweek.com/commerce/jcpenney-beauty-counter-artificial-intelligence/