EZface kiosk lets consumers experiment with hair colour before buying

The Virtual Hair Colouration In-Store Kiosk contains the company’s Virtual Mirror Application (VMA), which allows consumers to see if a particular colour will suit them by applying it to a photo, helping them to make informed purchasing decisions.

“The application contains a smart diagnostics engine that prevents the consumer from making the wrong choice. By showing the predicted result, consumers are no longer faced with uncertainty or potential mistakes,” ​said EZface co-founder and marketing vice president, Ruth Gal.

Sophisticated technology​

According to the company, an ‘intuitive camera’ and ‘sophisticated algorithms’ are used to analyse the consumer’s photo, taking into account skin tone, facial features and current hair colour.

The hair colouration kiosk is designed as a complement to the make-up kiosk, the company said, which allows consumers to scan a product bar code and virtually ‘try on’ colour cosmetics.

It can even suggest other shades and products that fit the consumer’s colour profile and allow them to send the makeover results to a friend for advice by e-mail or phone.

Increase hair colour product sales​

Gal told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com that the new hair colouration kiosks can increase sales of hair colour products in two ways.

"By taking the uncertainty out of what the consumer will look like with a new hair colour, consumers are more likely to buy the product. Additionally, consumers are more likely to experiment and change their hair colour more often in keeping with style trends and trying out new looks,"​ she said.

The kiosks can also track user behaviour and preferences, said EZface, which can help retailers make more informed decisions about which products they stock, as well being a novel way to increase foot traffic to a store.

According to Gal, the L'Oreal and Maybelline brands use the make-up kiosks in Walmart in the US, and they will be used in retail stores in France in the near future. The EZface Hair Colouration Kiosks will be available next year throughout retail outlets in Europe and North America, she said.

EZface co-founder and CEO Rami Orpaz said that in addition to retail and salon locations, the kiosk can be intergeated across web and mobile platforms.