Virtual Beauty Retail: Mary Kay launches digital pop-up shop

19-Apr-2021 - Last updated on 19-Apr-2021 at 16:32 GMT

Suite 13 from Mary Kay, a 360-degree, 3D beauty experience (photo courtesy of Mary Kay Inc.)

The Texas-based beauty company has just expanded its Suite 13 virtual 3D beauty showroom and expects to have the tech in place for nearly all markets that Mary Kay serves by the end of the year.

“Today, technology is at the center of everything, and people – especially the younger generation - want to discover, learn and find out about new products online,” says Sheryl Adkins-Green, Chief Marketing Officer for Mary Kay Inc., in this month’s media release about Suite 13.

“Suite 13,” she explains, “will provide Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants the flexibility of a digital business by being able to introduce our Mary Kay brand everywhere at any time and to elevate the way they build relationships with their customers by sharing an immersive beauty experience.”

And she emphasizes that for Mary Kay digital solutions like this one aren’t just a novelty or fad but a business strategy the company is pursuing purposefully: “To win in this new digital-driven environment,” says Adkins-Green, “we will continue to find new ways for people to connect virtually for personalized low-touch experiences based in high-tech innovation.”

Mary Kay supports women in beauty tech with 2021 launch of Suite 13

Suite 13 first launched in Mexico. And the VR tech is now available to Mary Kay beauty consultants (and their customers) in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Columbia, and Peru.

And as Adkins-Green notes, “the launch of Suite 13 is the result of months of creativity, passion and commitment to provide Mary Kay’s Independent Beauty Consultants the best and most innovative tools in the market to help them manage their business.”

To launch the VR beauty pop-up, Mary Kay teamed up with the ecommerce tech innovation company Obsess, founded and led by Neha Singh. According to the Obsess site, the company “is an Augmented & Virtual Reality software platform for experiential shopping. Our proprietary technology enables brands and retailers to serve 3D 360 shopping experiences on their websites, mobile apps and social channels via our 3D Commerce Cloud.”

Suite 13 has a lot in common with physical pop-up shops in that it gives consumers an opportunity to check out products and learn about the brand’s history. Suite 13 features skin care in a virtual room called the Innovation Center and helps (prospective) customers get acquainted with company Founder Mary Kay Ash in the Lobby. And there are other rooms as well.

While in Suite13, VR shoppers add products to a wish list that then goes to the Mary Kay beauty consultant they buy from.

“Suite 13 is about bringing the Mary Kay beauty experience together in a much more accessible way to independent beauty consultants and their customers where they already are,” says Obsess CEO Neha Singh, in this month’s media release.

And she points out that “with Suite 13, the Mary Kay team took care of every detail of the platform, giving you the feeling of being in a Mary Kay virtual showroom without having to actually be physically present,” (a project that included working with several women photographers to create images that appear in the virtual retail shop).

As for Obsess’s role in the project, Singh says, “Our platform has allowed brands to create visually appealing, immersive virtual experiences that are changing the way they engage with their customers and we are excited for Mary Kay customers to continue to discover, learn and interact with the brand in a new digital environment.”