Historically, salespeople at malls or door-to-door have fulfilled that function. However these consultants are scarce on-line. Whereas magnificence influencers abound, they normally promote particular merchandise moderately than what customers need or want.
“We wish to present the identical degree of service that (clients) get offline within the on-line setting,” Hong mentioned.
Hyper-personalization
Amorepacific was began 80 years in the past by Suh Sungwhan, whose mom, Yun Dokjeong, bottled camellia oil by hand. It was the primary Korean firm to arrange a cosmetics lab within the Nineteen Fifties and to open a magnificence counseling middle within the Sixties. Immediately it’s helmed by Suh’s son, Kyungbae Suh, and its well-known manufacturers embrace Etude, Innisfree and Hera on the entry degree, Laneige a step up and Sulwhasoo on the luxurious finish.
Amorepacific merchandise are bought in additional than 15 markets, the most important being Korea, China and the remainder of Asia Pacific. It is usually making inroads in North America and Europe.
The group was already utilizing AI expertise on its on-line Amore Mall to drive product search, suggestions and pores and skin prognosis when generative AI burst onto the scene about three years in the past.
“We noticed how we might make it (the net expertise) a conversational service,” mentioned Chikook Noh, Amorepacific’s AI Options Crew Chief.
Chikook Noh, Amorepacific’s AI Resolution Crew Chief, sees the app advising first on skincare then on make-up in future. Photograph by Seong Joon Cho for Microsoft.
The AIBC makes use of OpenAI’s GPT 4o and 4o-mini massive language fashions on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to reply buyer queries within the app. The underlying information is dealt with with Information Manufacturing facility on Microsoft Cloth and AI Search features in Azure AI Foundry.
The AIBC would assist overcome a spot with the corporate’s current on-line pores and skin prognosis software on Amore Mall, Noh mentioned. At present customers reply a sequence of questions reminiscent of “Is your pores and skin oily? (Fee on a scale of 1 to five)” and take an image of their faces. It produces an general rating and dispenses recommendation on skincare and merchandise.
This pores and skin prognosis software has been used 2.5 million occasions on-line and in shops by customers during the last 4 years. The IT division observed an attention-grabbing factor – when used on-line through Amore Mall, “the transition to buy tends to be on the decrease aspect,” Noh mentioned. However when utilized in a bodily retailer, “the offline price may be very excessive as a result of there’s a dialog with the gross sales assistant.”
Sion Kim tries out the AI Magnificence Counsellor app, which is being launched quickly. Photograph by Seong Joon Cho for Microsoft.
The AI app goals to offer the type of recommendation that retailer gross sales assistants present to drive gross sales. Inputs for the AIBC will embrace customers’ buy historical past, evaluation historical past in addition to on-line pores and skin prognosis. The AIBC will then converse with the patron to find out their present pores and skin standing and what their issues are.
A very powerful factor is the “hyper-personalization. I do know you. I do know what troubles you’ve got. I do know what makes you’re feeling good,” Noh mentioned.
Completely different magnificence wants
The AIBC growth group anticipates curiosity even from those that don’t use a ton of magnificence merchandise.
Hyejin Yoon, 35, is on the different finish of the patron spectrum from Kim, the Pilates teacher. A former Chinese language instructor for center and high-schoolers, she now stays dwelling together with her one-year-old child on the outskirts of Seoul.
Earlier than the infant, she used numerous Amorepacific manufacturers like Hera, Primera and Hanyul. Now there’s solely time for a face wash, a toner and moisturizing cream from Illiyoon, a fragrance-free model aimed toward individuals with delicate pores and skin. She shares the cream together with her child.
“I’ve no time to placed on so many steps due to the infant,” she mentioned.
Hyejin Yoon is a time-pressed new mom in Seoul who says she would use the AI Magnificence Counsellor app to counsel merchandise for her pores and skin. Photograph by Seong Joon Cho for Microsoft.
She observed how her pores and skin modified when she grew to become a mom. “I really feel my pores and skin is getting drier and drier,” she mentioned. “I’m uninterested in having to maintain attempting totally different merchandise.”
She briefly tried a take a look at model of the AIBC app and mentioned she might see herself utilizing it, particularly if it consists of facial evaluation.
The AI Magnificence Counselor is Amorepacific’s first public-facing use of generative AI.
It follows the group’s roll out in 2023 of a generative AI chat software for inside use, additionally on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. That has been used for all the pieces from summarizing medical analysis articles to creating inside designs for pop-up shops to creating advertising content material.
Because the AIBC includes interacting with the general public, the IT group has additionally taken pains to anticipate probably dangerous topics reminiscent of politics and faith. If a client touches on these topics, the AIBC will reply: “It is a query we can’t reply,” based on Hong.
Sooner or later, the objective is for the AIBC to transcend textual content to incorporate voice and pictures and dispense recommendation not simply on skincare but in addition make-up and well being dietary supplements.
High Picture: Sion Kim, a 26-year-old Pilates teacher, mentioned she would use the AI Magnificence Counsellor app to maintain up with seasonal developments and what fits her pores and skin kind. Photograph by Seong Joon Cho for Microsoft.
