L'Oréal is bringing augmented reality technology into the mainstream with a new partnership between ModiFace and Facebook.
The beauty behemoth has inked what it calls a "long-term" partnership with the social media giant, in which ModiFace will power augmented reality experiences featuring makeup brands across the L'Oréal portfolio, designed to live on Facebook's platform. The first — a try-on experience for NYX Professional Makeup Slip Tease Full Color Lip Lacquer — will debut on Facebook's mobile app in late August.
Similar try-on experiences for Maybelline, L'Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Shu Uemura are scheduled to roll out on Facebook through the end of the year.
The ModiFace partnership is the first of several that L'Oréal intends to embark on with the tech platforms and retailers, said chief digital officer Lubomira Rochet in an exclusive interview. It also is the first major partnership ModiFace has entered since being acquired by L'Oréal in March.
"It's important that consumers discover our brands in an entertaining and educational way," said Rochet. "This is what we've done with retailers for many years — elevating the experience."
The partnership is a "reach game," said Rochet, designed to target as many consumers as possible with no specific demographic or psychographic in mind. The idea is to introduce consumers to makeup brands within the L'Oréal portfolio via ModiFace technology, and enable them to seamlessly try on – and click to buy — products, directing traffic back to the brands' e-commerce sites. "Facebook, Instagram — people like to hang out there," said Rochet. "We want to present to as many consumers as possible a fun, lively makeup experience."
Rochet would not talk expected sales projections from the partnership, but noted that social media platforms do "tend to convert well" for the company.
The partnership comes at a time when L'Oréal is redirecting its marketing efforts to focus on digital. "E-commerce in general is becoming a very important channel in driving growth and recruitment," said Rochet, who noted that at L'Oréal it is growing at about 35 to 40 percent each year.
Rochet said that L'Oréal intends to ink partnerships between ModiFace and other tech platforms and retailers as a way to continually introduce its products to consumers virtually. It is also rolling out ModiFace AR technology to its own e-commerce sites. ModiFace technology launched on the e-commerce sites for L'Oréal Paris last month.
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