11.03.10
ModiFace, a provider of virtual makeover technologies, has rolled out ShadeCast,billed as a forecasting tool based, in part, on anonymous tracking of consumer behavior using the iPhone virtual makeover tool, MakeUp. The company says the real-time aggregate data will help the industry predict latest trends and help cosmetic manufacturers better understand the color and products which most resonate with online and iPhone virtual makeover users.
Originally launched in Nov. 2009, MakeUp is a free iPhone beauty tool that allows users to virtually try on different types of makeup, including mascara, foundation, blush and eye shadow, in hundreds of shades from leading brand names like Revlon, Cover Girl, Lancôme and Clinique. Since the launch of the first MakeUp app, it has been downloaded by over 200,000 users, according to company.
With more than1,000 different cosmetic shades from more than 40 brands, ShadeCast provides a score to appropriately position the hottest and most sampled color from the iPhone application. For example, the most popular lipsticks for October are Estée Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in ‘Classic Red’ or Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in ‘Are You Red-dy.’
Along with the ShadeScore tracking technology, consumers will also be able to identify the closest colors for each shade across a wide variety of brands with ShadeMatch.
“The popularity of hot new trends in makeup is unpredictable and constantly evolving,” said Nikkie Gatto, resident beauty expert and mobile project manager at ModiFace. “Traditionally radio playlists have driven the business of music, and we believe that leveraging ShadeCast will not only benefit consumers looking to capture the current look, but also provide vital market intelligence to our retail channel partners. Because ShadeCast tracks a variety of data sources including data from 200,000 iPhones currently running the MakeUp application, this is a great indicator of what products will become popular for the upcoming season, since virtually ‘trying-on’ precedes buying.”
“The best thing about ShadeCast is that we are making available for publishers, consumers and brand managers, internal statistics about the popularity of individual shades as they are being tried-on by our iPhone and Web users. This is the first time that such a service, where you can track in realtime the popularity of each individual shade or brand, is being made available to the public,” said Dr. Parham Aarabi, chief executive officer and founder of ModiFace.
