Brief:

• Schwarzkopf saw a 96% video completion rate and a 2.1 return-on-investment (ROI) with a shopping rewards app that mobile consumers could use in Walmart, according to news shared with Mobile Marketer.
• The Henkel-owned haircare brand used Shopkick's post-scan video and location technology at stores to demonstrate hair coloring. Shopkick's app let shoppers use their smartphones to scan Schwarzkopf's Color Ultime boxes and watch a short video that showed the appearance of each hair coloring.
• Shopkick awarded consumers with "kicks" — the app's rewards currency — for interacting with the products. The Schwarzkopf campaign aimed to boost visibility and purchase consideration for Color Ultime by demonstrating key product benefits.

Insight:

Schwarzkopf's campaign with Shopkick shows the power of mobile technology to help consumers make more informed decisions about products with customized video demonstrations, including in stores. Haircare consumers are faced with a heavy volume of product choice at store chains, where employees may be trained to help shoppers navigate aisles and to answer basic questions but not to offer in-depth explanations about specific brands. Shopkick seeks to help shoppers get more personalized information while giving them a reason to spend more time researching a brand with its points rewards.

The smartphone continues to be a key shopping tool, especially for price comparisons, and retailers have responded to the trend by developing apps that shoppers can use in stores. More than half of consumers (57%) have used a retailer's mobile app while in-store, according to a survey by Yes Marketing. Nearly all consumers (90%) go to stores at least monthly to make purchases, and 60% shop in stores because they want to see items in person, the survey found. As for retailers, 50% said a mobile shopping app is a top priority for their omnichannel strategies, while 45% listed mobile points of sale as another key to their plans, according to a survey by mobile commerce platform Shopgate.

Haircare brands like Schwarzkopf are using mobile technology to help shoppers in store or at home. Augmented reality (AR) has evolved from demonstrating cosmetics to also include hair dye. Coty last month demonstrated its Wella Professionals AR-enabled Smart Mirror that offers a virtual try-on of hair coloring. Jerome Russell brand Punky Colour last year partnered with AR developer Perfect to show off their hair products to mobile users. Target and Ulta Beauty let shoppers buy the products from their respective mobile apps.