A.S. Watson Launches AI Tool to Help Link Customers with the Best Matched Foundation

HONG KONG SAR – A.S. Watson Group, the world's largest international health and beauty retailers, has announced the launch of its Foundation Finder in its mobile app to help customers identify their perfect foundation shade and color.

“Most beauty lovers struggle to find the right shade, as normally we apply foundation tester on hands,” explained Malina Ngai, chief executive officer of A.S. Watson. “In most cases, the skin color on hands is slightly different from the face. We know this is the pain point of customers and this inspires us to work on a solution. Our eLab digital team developed this together with Watsons’ makeup artists. I've tried it, and am confident that our customers will love it.”

First introduced in Watsons Hong Kong and Malaysia, the flagship health and beauty brand of A.S. Watson, Foundation Finder will later be rolled out to other Asian markets including the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan with hopes of further expansion into Europe. It is now offering customers up to 700 foundation products from over 30 brands. The function will first appear on the Watsons mobile app and then will extend to digital gadgets in-store.

Developed by A.S. Watson's own in-house digital agency eLab, the Foundation Finder offers a seamless O+O retail shopping experience to its customers, thanks to its Advanced Facial Analysis Technology. The state-of-the-art technology helps customers find the right foundation that most closely matches the customer's skin type and skin tone.

 

Just how does it work? Simply take a selfie and answer a few questions about your skin conditions and makeup style preferences. The app will then recommend foundations that best suit the customers' needs. Customers will also be given the option to choose a lighter or darker shade based on their own preference. The function is digitally connected to the Watsons online store, so customers can immediately order their recommended products and have it delivered to their homes or pick up in stores. Customers are also encouraged to save the recommendation via email for later reference when visiting the stores.

 

“We've been pioneering the application of Augmented Reality (AR) technology in our O+O experience for beauty lovers,” said Ngai. “Simply using our Watsons app on their smart phones, they can try on different color cosmetics and hair color. Customers are now addicted to their phones, and being able to build a relationship with them involves both our physical store touch point as well as digital. Being relevant and fun is key to add value to our customers' daily lives.”