Avon Sees 320% Boost in Conversion, 33% Increase in Average Order Value Using Perfect Corp. Virtual Try-On

Situation: Providing a High-Touch Shopping Experience Digitally

Avon has been doing beauty differently for over 135 years. Avon is a company that connects people, using the power of beauty to transform lives for the better. Millions of independent sales Representatives across the world sell the iconic Avon brand through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis. Avon stands for gender equality, and believes in listening to women's needs, speaking out about issues that matter and creating positive change. Avon and the Avon Foundation has donated over $1.1 billion, with a focus on tackling gender violence and breast cancer. Avon is part of the Natura &Co Group.

As part of its omnichannel transformation, Avon wanted to give its customers the ability to experience its products through virtual try-on—whether engaging directly with its sales reps or selling directly to customers online. The challenge was finding  VTO technology capable of providing the same kind of high-touch experience digitally that the company is famous for through its person-to-person sales.

Solution: Perfect Corp. AI/AR Virtual Try-On Technology

After evaluating its options, Avon chose Perfect Corp., which combines powerful artificial intelligence (AI) with its industry-leading Avon uses virtual try-on to create an immersive customer experience. augmented reality (AR) to provide precision virtual try-on experiences.

The immersive shopping experience is powered by Perfect Corp.’s award-winning technology, allowing customers to experiment with various beauty products virtually to find their perfect product match.

Providing a virtual try-on experience is part of Avon’s “Open Up & Grow” strategy to enhance shopping. The company has launched its virtual try-on experience in the UK, South Africa, The Philippines, Italy, Poland, Russia, Romania, Czech Republic, and Turkey, with expansion into more countries on the roadmap. The virtual try-on experience provides Avon shoppers with an interactive and personalized shopping experience.

Avon is using Perfect Corp. AI/AR technology to provide its customers with a virtual try-on experience for lip, eye, and face, which was a major reason for deciding to go with Perfect Corp.

Avon uses virtual try-on to create an immersive customer experience

Impressed by Perfect Corp. Technology & Roadmap

“We did an RFP, so we looked at competitors as well, but one of the reasons for choosing Perfect Corp. is it offers a wide range of services—from VTO, to skin analysis, to foundation finder technology,” says Kristof Neirynck, Global Chief Marketing Officer & Managing Director of Western Europe at Avon. “As a brand that operates across multiple beauty categories, we felt that Perfect Corp. provided us with a roadmap of technologies to carry us into the future. We were also, of course, impressed with the precision and realism of the VTO technology.”

Neirynck notes that Avon also liked that Perfect Corp. technology would easily integrate with some of the tech platforms and partners it was already operating with.  

Bringing Virtual Try-On to Consumers Directly and through its Sales Representatives

Avon is maximizing the benefits of its virtual try-on technology by offering it to its customers directly, as well as through its more than five million sales representatives.

Avon’s virtual try-on experience is just a click away. The company provides direct access to customers through its website, including their unique digital brochures, inviting customers to click & to be taken directly to a virtual try-on experience for the product. To complete the shopping experience, a customer can add to bag & click to purchase.

Once within the virtual try-on experience, customers can try on products in real-time via video, use a model, or upload a photo of themselves—or of anyone else. “Someone could upload a photo of their mother, for example, and choose a lip product as a perfectly matched surprise gift,” Neirynck says. Avon’s app also gives customers the ability to download selfies to share on social media.

Avon also includes the virtual try-on tool in the application Avon reps use to manage their business. This makes it easy for a rep to use virtual try-on as a powerful sales tool during face-to-face time with their customers.

Avon have recently partnered with Perfect Corp to elevate the experience on Mascara by enabling Customers to try on multiple mascara finishes to reflect the buildable benefit of their NEW Exxtravert Mascara.  And looking ahead, Avon plans to use Perfect Corp. technology to offer customers the chance to experience total looks—combining lip, eye, and skin products in a unified virtual try-on session.

Avon’s virtual try-on experience is just a click away.

Benefits of Perfect Corp. Virtual Try-On Technology

Avon has enjoyed a number of benefits since deploying its Perfect Corp. AI+AR-powered virtual try-on shopping experience, including:

• Providing reps with a powerful sales tool
• 320% increase in conversion rate
• 94% increase in average number of products viewed
• 33% increase in average order value

Providing Reps with a Powerful Sales Tool “You Can’t Carry Around 400 Shades of Every Product”

Avon sales representatives have found virtual try-on to be a powerful sales tool. With virtual try-on a customer can try a dozen lip or eye shades within seconds—something simply not possible in real life.

“You can’t carry around 400 shades of every product,” Neirynck says. “Our virtual try-on tool gives our reps the ability to let their customers explore the full array of options—whether they are consulting with their customer virtually or in person.”

Avon reps have found that the more their customers explore products through the power of virtual try-on, the more they purchase.

320% Increase in Conversion Rate

Avon has found a 320% increase in conversion rate for customers using virtual try-on, which the company credits, at least in part, to the technology giving customers the confidence to buy.

“When you buy a product, you want to make sure it's going to look good on you,” Neirynck  says. “You want to have confidence in making the purchase. Without virtual try-on, getting that confidence can be hard, just looking at a picture. The precision of our virtual try-on technology greatly increases the confidence for a customer that they are buying  a lipstick shade, bronzer or other product that is going to work for them. They can see it on themselves with absolute realism. We’ve seen a 320% increase in conversion rates for customers using our Perfect Corp. virtual try-on.”

Avon uses virtual try-on as a powerful sales tool for its reps.

94% Increase in Average Number of Products Viewed

The engaging customer experience Avon has created with its Perfect Corp. virtual try-on technology captivates customers—which translates into longer visits.

“We’ve seen that when people engage with our virtual try-on, they spend more time on our site and explore more of our products,” Neirynck says. “We’ve found a 94% increase in the average number of products viewed for those who engage with our virtual try-on experience.”

In addition to trying more shades of specific products, they are exploring other products.

“With virtual try-on we see that customers will try more shades of a product like lip,” Neirynck says. “We also see that they go on to explore other product offerings.”

To further encourage this multi-product exploration,  Avon is implementing the ability to try on a whole look.

“We are providing customers the ability to create Avon Looks,” Neirynck says. “Customers will be able to virtually try on lip, eye shadow, and mascara to create a look they like, and then purchase all the products in one go.”

33% Increase in Average Order Value for Those Using Virtual Try-On

Avon has found a 33% increase in average order value for those exploring with virtual try-on, which Neirynck credits to the immersive experience that customers enjoy.

“We’re using Perfect Corp. AI and AR technology to provide an immersive customer experience,” Neirynck says. “It’s absolutely crucial that we deliver that kind of immersive experience as the beauty industry increasingly goes digital.”

The challenge has always been going digital without losing the personal touch, which is what Avon has achieved through its work with Perfect Corp.

“One of the elements that has always been core to Avon, since its inception 137 years ago, is providing the immersive beauty experience where you have that personalized in-person, high-touch, immersive experience,” Neirynck says. “The extreme realism of our virtual try-on allows us to replicate that immersive experience, which is a brand differentiator for us in a digital world.”

About Perfect Corp

Perfect Corp. is the leading SaaS AI and AR beauty and fashion tech solutions provider, dedicated to transforming shopping experiences through empowering brands to embrace the digital-first world.

By partnering with the largest names in the industry, Perfect Corp.’s suite of enterprise solutions delivers synergistic, technology-driven experiences that facilitate sustainable, ultra-personalized, and engaging shopping journeys, as well as equipping brands with next generation of consumer goods.

Perfect Corp. offers a complementary suite of mobile apps, including YouCam Makeup and YouCam Perfect, to provide a consumer platform to virtually try-on new products, perform skin diagnoses, edit photos, and share experiences with the YouCam Community.

To learn more, please visit PerfectCorp.com.