Clarins empowers its iconic double serum with breakthrough technologies in O2O pop-ups

Clarins has invited the bustling city to join immersive experiences featuring the latest extended reality (XR) technology and a 360 virtual pop-up with avatar customisation feature powered by ReadyPlayerMe, a cross-game avatar platform, becoming the first in the market to achieve both an XR-empowered retailtainment experience and locally incorporate avatar customisation technology in a virtual environment to rejuvenate their bestselling product and provide a continuation of their customer’s journey.

The "Double Serum Cosmos" pop-up was unveiled at Harbour City in October, combining both retail and entertainment to engage visitors and discover how the iconic Double Serum’s pioneering [Oil & Water] formula creates a perfectly balanced environment for the skin, reversing the signs of ageing. 

By incorporating the innovative XR technology often used in Hollywood blockbuster movies, Clarins was able to encourage engagement and develop a more effective customer journey. A floating 3D animated video shot on three LED walls was created to tie in with the Double Cosmos theme. The whole production process, from storyboard, graphics development to programme setup took over two months to develop and launch at the pop-up store. 

This unique experience created close to 1,500 user-generated content, which can impact purchasing decisions in today’s fast paced digital world. Many customers posted their videos as reels on Instagram, which sparked more conversations as the app’s algorithm helped maximise exposure and reached more audience – achieving up to 900 organic views for each post. 

The “Double Serum Cosmos Virtual Spaceship” was then launched on 15 November and will continue exclusively until December, as the second leg of the whole consumer journey extended from the physical pop-up. 

Through the 360-degree virtual environment, customers are able to engage in various checkpoints including gaming, and the AR filter that featured customised avatar created by customers via the ReadyPlayerMe platform, encouraging user-generated content on social media to increase brand awareness and online registrations. 

Other elements such as exclusive promotion code and referral programme were further put in place to complete the customer online-to-offline (O2O) journey and bridge between in-store and the brand’s eCommerce site. 

As we dive into an increasingly digitalised world, with consumers looking for more personalised, sophisticated experience, it is already foreseeable that more brands will embrace more, better and newer technologies to drive engagements and top-of-mind awareness. These revolutionising retail experiences will drastically change the shopping habits of consumers and challenge the innovative capabilities and creativity of brands to build one-of-a-kind experiences. 

This article is contributed by TBS Interactive.