Because of mobile, consumers now have a personal stylist, hairdresser, and makeup artist right at their fingertips, 24/7. To make sure we are there and useful whenever our customers need us, we must offer more than just customized products. We need a personalized digital experience, too.

We launched Makeup Genius, a mobile app that allows consumers to virtually try on makeup. The app scans a customer’s face, analyzes more than 60 characteristics, then virtually displays how various products and shade mixes can be used to achieve different looks, in real time. Consumers can select a look they like and directly order the right products with just the press of a button. As the app tracks how the customer uses it and what they buy, it learns their preferences, makes inferences based on similar customers’ choices, and tailors its responses.

The important takeaway is that we didn’t build Makeup Genius to mirror our mobile commerce experience. This app is a unique asset both as a branded channel for engaging with customers and as a “fire hose” of incoming information about how our customers engage. It allows us to understand the needs of our loyal users and tailor meaningful, assistive experiences for them. We now have more than 20 million customers that we can provide a customized experienced for.