"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"
I think most of us are aware of this line that features in the story of Snow White. Spin forward to today and disrupted digital technologies have totally made it possible by introducing smart mirrors to us!
We at Transforma Insights recently published a report, Digital Transformation in the Retail Industry, which identified six domains of change in the retail industry that are being enabled by disruptive technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Hyperconnectivity (HC), and Data Sharing (DS). This blog defines the 'Augmented Shopping Experience' domain of change and explains how smart mirrors and AR-enabled mobile applications are enhancing customer experience.
Augmented Shopping Experience includes the use of smart mirrors to provide a virtual product try-on experience and also the use of an AR-enabled mobile application linked to a store’s product catalogue, offering shoppers an interactive tool for AR experiences.
AR-enabled smart mirrors use sensors, cameras, and AI for virtual try-ons, personalised recommendations, and touchless checkout. L’Oréal, for example, leverages smart mirrors to let customers virtually try its full beauty range, regardless of in-store availability. AR-enabled mobile applications are also garnering focus, since they can combine the sensory appeal of in-store shopping with the convenience of mobile applications. A survey by Scanbot SDK in August 2024 revealed that ~79% of the respondents had used a retailer’s mobile application.
Retailers are also increasingly using smart mirrors in storefronts, in which they display a brand’s products for passersby in real-time, allowing them to visualise themselves wearing or using the brand’s products. This enhances customer engagement, offers a better brand experience, and drives foot traffic. For example, Coach used Zero10’s AR smart mirror at its SoHo store (New York), boosting window display engagement by 93.5% and in-store foot traffic by 50% within the first week.
In this section of the blog, we highlight some of the benefits of deploying smart mirrors in retail environments. These include:
A variety of digital solutions are being deployed by retail outlets to match evolving shopper expectations. Smart mirrors are one of the digital solutions being deployed, especially by the fashion and cosmetics industries. In August 2023, a survey by PYMNTS (based on responses from 4,600 US customers) revealed that 34% of connected device owners were ‘very or extremely interested’ in using in-store smart mirrors.
So, what are some of the brands that have deployed these mirrors? Let’s find out.
In 2022, H&M Group rolled out a pilot in its COS stores (COS is a fashion brand under H&M that sells ready-to-wear clothes) in the US, where smart mirrors provided visitors with seamless payment options, personalised styling recommendations, faster checkout, and upgraded delivery/return options.
Coach collaborated with Zero10 to deploy AR-enabled smart mirrors at its SoHo flagship store in New York. The store displayed images of passersby holding various models of the brand’s Tabby bags. Zero10 report a 93.5% boost in window display engagement and a 50% increase in foot traffic within the first week of the mirror's deployment.
In October 2023, Maybelline partnered with FFFace.me and unveiled a 43,000-square feet AR-enabled smart mirror in Gulliver Mall (Kyiv, Ukraine), to advertise its newly launched mascara. The mirror helped the company to achieve three million organic views and mentions within one month of the deployment.
In partnership with Snapchat, Nike installed Snapchat’s AR-enabled smart mirrors in one of its stores, which allowed shoppers access to in-store discounts and increased Nike’s revenue.
The integration of smart mirrors is revolutionising aspects of the retail industry, offering a more interactive and personalised shopping experience. By blending disruptive digital technologies with traditional retail, augmented shopping is transforming how customers engage with products, making shopping more seamless, efficient, and tailored to individual preferences.
