Experts believe augmented reality will help bring duty free shops to life

AUGMENTED reality is an exciting technology because it allows users to better engage with products.

In the retail space, the technology has already made a big difference, with IKEA, Macy’s, Kolh’s, and many others leveraging it to develop apps and experiences that delight customers.

More recently, L’Oréal signed a deal with Lotte Duty Free (with spaces in South Korea, Australia, and other parts of Southeast Asia) to deploy the technology to delight travelers looking to purchase make-up.

The solution is being developed by Modiface —  a company that L’Oréal acquired for its augmented reality capabilities in March last year — and will bring beauty brands such as Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, L’Oréal Paris, and Urban Decay to life.

L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific and Lotte Duty Free share the same vision that online Augmented Reality is becoming key throughout travellers’ journey of product discovery and purchase,” said L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific Managing Director Emmanuel Goulin.

“Our launch of ModiFace make-up virtual try-on further expands our expertise in beauty tech, and I look forward to revolutionising the travel retail industry with the AR-enabled future we are creating today.”

According to Goulin’s team, providing an innovative beauty user experience will unlock possibilities of personalization and consumer engagement, reassuring the company’s position as a beauty leader in the travel retail industry.

After all, travellers today are demanding more interactive and modern experiences and leveraging technologies such as augmented reality is the only way to deliver on expectations.

“This deepened collaboration with L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific is extremely relevant for us, as it will allow augmented reality experiences to be used by millions of travellers around the world,” said Lotte Duty Free CEO Kap Lee.

“This world-class technology reinvents a traveller’s shopping journey, helping them discover, try and chose beauty products with ground-breaking and innovative services.”

While the innovative use case is being deployed in beauty stores, experts believe that more duty free shops in 2020 will use augmented reality to showcase their products, engage with audiences, and improve their appeal.

Fashion apparel companies, however, are expected to be next in line to leverage the technology — as the use case in the space is not only mature but makes perfect sense given that not every customer will be inclined to try on a piece of clothing at an airport retail store.

Either way, augmented reality has a bright future in 2020, in duty free shops, retail establishments, as well as commercial and non-commercial spaces.

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