Cosmetics, by nature, are highly visual and have a variety of subtle characteristics. Whether it’s an eye shadow, concealer or lipstick, consumers consider many things while shopping: color, shade and finish, to name a few.
But sifting through hundreds or even thousands of products while they’re shopping online can be inundating for consumers. Even if they have a specific product in mind, subpar search functionality may leave them frustrated and empty-handed.
Drawing inspiration from Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, cosmetics brand Urban Decay is making its mobile site more compelling and inspirational. As an early adopter of Visual Shopping, a new solution from Edgecase, the brand has created a visual and streamlined shopping experience that empowers customers to find products faster, and in a more dynamic environment.
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Early results show that consumers who interact with the mobile Visual Shopping function view five times more products per session than those who do not. Urban Decay also has seen 150% higher conversions when shoppers interact with the tool.
“We’re giving people the ability to filter Urban Decay products so we can show them multiple finishes, even if they didn’t know they were looking for that kind of variety,” said Katherine LaFranchise, AVP of Urban Decay. “We’re giving them an added layer of filtering capabilities and then adding machine-based learning to give them the right results.”
Tackle The Mobile Conversion Issue
Up to 60% of all Urban Decay e-Commerce traffic is coming from mobile devices, according to LaFranchise. Despite seeing this ongoing growth, conversions have not followed in the same direction.
“We know that consumers are [on their mobile devices], and they’re also highly engaged on sites like Pinterest and Instagram,” LaFranchise said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “Knowing this, we were asking: How do we optimize these two things together? How do we convert these people in a way that they’re used to shopping?”
Edgecase developed Visual Shopping to add a more human touch to the online shopping experience. Currently available for eye cosmetics, Visual Shopping allows consumers to select how they want their eyes to look: brilliant, smoky and neutral. They also can draw from a range of colors, shades and finishes, and even identify whether they want vegan or Paraben-free products.
To make the searching process even more personalized, consumers can select their eye color and skin tone, so they only receive the product recommendations that best match their unique needs.
“This gives consumers the ability to find something they didn’t even know that they were looking for,” LaFranchise noted. “The great thing about the solution is that it uses real human thinking and shopper perspectives to produce these results; they’re not just algorithms.”
Once consumers find the product they are searching for, they can look at all shades available and even access similar products. Finally, they can share their favorite products with friends through Twitter, Pinterest, email and more.
Due to the positive response, Urban Decay plans to make Visual Shopping available for more products on the m-Commerce site.
