Dive Brief:
- Building upon its in-store lab concept, Clinique has launched The Clinique Lab, a digital environment where customers can create custom avatars and browse its products, the company announced via email on Monday.
- Through The Clinique Lab experience on desktop or mobile, customers can explore six different environments where they can purchase products, talk with a Clinique consultant and learn about product formulas and the company’s origins, the company said.
- The Clinique Lab launched in Europe, the Middle East and Africa on Monday, and will be available in the U.S. on March 27.
Dive Insight:
Clinique is diving deeper into its metaverse experimentation.
In October 2021, the company established a presence in the metaverse through the launch of its first digital collectible through a limited-edition non-fungible token. The brand offered the NFT and an annual assortment of products over the next decade to its Smart Rewards members.
Last June, Clinique unveiled its first NFT campaign dubbed “Metaverse More Like Us.” With the help of makeup artists and creators like Tess Daly, Sheika Daley, and Emira D’Spain, the company created various looks across a range of skin tones, face shapes and hairstyles to bring underrepresented beauty into the metaverse.
Before opening a virtual lab to showcase its products, Clinique debuted its Clinique Lab in New York City last July. Housed within Macy’s at Herald Square, the concept space offers shoppers access to the company’s diagnostics tool, Clinique Clinical Reality, which utilizes facial scanning software to analyze skin and provide product recommendations. At the time, the brand planned to open more locations within Macy’s stores and other retail partners.
Though more brands are building virtual environments to attract consumers, experts predict that such efforts won't be seamless for users in the future. A Forrester report released last July predicted that virtual shopping experiences will be a precursor to an interoperable metaverse, but consumers won’t be able to freely move from one virtual environment to another with their digital possessions even a decade from now.
