Target Rolls Out Augmented Reality For Beauty Products

Target is taking on the beauty market, bringing in augmented reality (AR) to develop its Target Beauty Studio. The retailer has also announced it will be rolling out men’s grooming departments in a select number of stores, according to Retail Dive reports.

A collaborative project with Perfect Corp.’s YouCam Makeup app will allow customers in 10 stores the opportunity to “try on” different shades of makeup using a digital screen before they make a purchase. While Target plans to bring the technology to more stores this year, it still plans to offer in-store beauty experts.

The company is also rolling out men’s grooming departments, which are currently located in 11 stores. It plans to bring them to 80 stores by the close of 2018, featuring more than 600 products from brands such as Harry’s, BYRD and Beardbrand.

The news follows comments from Target CEO Brian Cornell, who has said he still believes the brand’s brick-and-mortar stores are central to its strategy — even with increasing eCommerce sales.

“The winning retailers of the future are going to combine great physical assets with the ease that comes along with that digital interaction,” Cornell told CNBC in February. “For the foreseeable future, the majority of U.S. retail sales will still take place at stores.”

In addition to investments in its stores, Target has been rolling out delivery services in Florida and Minnesota after acquiring Shipt in 2017.  The purchase “significantly accelerates” its digital fulfillment efforts, the company said at the time, and could bring same-day delivery to approximately half its stores in early 2018.

Target recently updated the indoor mapping function available through its mobile app to help customers better navigate its stores. Called the “GPS for your shopping cart,” according to TechCrunch, the feature went live in approximately 800 of its 1,800 U.S. stores in 2017. Target reportedly plans to add the functionality to half of its locations by the 2018 holiday season.