Dive Brief:

• Walmart is piloting Garnier's Virtual Shade Selector, a tool that uses 3D technology from L'Oréal's Modiface unit to help shoppers choose and "try on" hair color products, in 10 of its stores, according to a Garnier press release.

• Garnier originally launched Shade Selector as an online tool to be accessed on retailers' websites via computer or mobile phone, but the brand is now rolling out a shelf-based version for use in-store. Garnier said it will be deployed in 37 stores of select retailers this year.

• Shoppers can use the shelf-based display screens to learn about hair color product options and take a one-minute diagnostic test that leverages Modiface's technology to allow users to virtually try on a range of recommended Garnier shades, the press release stated.

Dive Insight:

Walgreens will be another retailer using Garnier's Virtual Shade Selector beginning in June 2019, and beauty advisers in those stores will be able to supplement the tool's capabilities with in-person feedback.

The retail sector has witnessed the launch of a variety of different virtual try-on applications, though most of them have been mobile app-based or web-based, at least in their original iterations. Modiface has a been the technology specialist behind several of these try-on tools, and most recently enabled L'Oreal's new artificial intelligence-based skin diagnostic tool.

Now, virtual try-on seems to be moving in-store, as retailers rely more on augmented reality and virtual reality technologies to transform the in-store experience. Helzberg Diamonds, for example, launched a virtual ring try-on tool at seven of its stores earlier this month.

Macy's has done something similar in its beauty departments, demonstrating that a beauty department, aisle or counter is where this technology might be a good in-store fit. Customers may spend a lot of time picking up different brands and putting them back as they try to decide what to buy, perhaps without having a good understanding of how a product will perform. The process takes time and can leave shoppers unsatisfied and the retailer without a sale.

The Shade Selector is an example of how in-store technology can make the shopping process quicker, easier and more satisfying. It's still relatively new technology in an in-store setting, which might be why Walmart is pursuing a relatively small pilot project. But in order to make customers comfortable, retailers may need to encourage shoppers to test it — or rather —​ to try it on.