Merchandising & Curation

Nonprofit Goodwill uses AI from an authentication service called Entrupy to weed out counterfeit high-end handbags for sale on its ecommerce platform, shopgoodwill.com. Goodwill employees use a modified iPod Touch equipped with a special lens in order to take closeup shots of an item, using an algorithm to analyze attributes like the stitching, lining and logo in order to determine its authenticity.

Shopping app Dote unveiled a feature that allows influencers to host live-streamed interactive video shopping experiences. During a Shopping Party session, Dote influencers can share live video of themselves while browsing different products on the Dote app and interacting with fans in real time, conducting giveaways and polls. Influencers can shop from all 150 brands on the Dote platform or throw parties exclusively for a single brand through Dote’s ‘Sponsored Party’ program.

Curated is an online platform whose community of experts provides consumers with personalized product and experience recommendations for winter sports, golf, cycling and yacht charters. Customers get started by answering a couple of basic questions and are matched with the appropriate expert. Users can then discuss their preferences and budgets with their experts via email, video chat, text or a portal on Curated’s website. The expert then sends a list of personalized recommendations, comparing different products and prices, along with insider tips. Curated’s services are free to use, but they ask that customers send feedback and share experiences in order to improve the service.

The French luxury brand is expanding its beauty audience with a line of skincare and cosmetic products designed to better accommodate male consumers

StockX editorial director Pete Forester discusses why streetwear is far from dead, and how the resale platform is part of the category's new generation

Sunnies Face is a beauty brand whose lip and foundation shades were developed specifically with Southeast Asia’s warm skin tones in mind. Similar to K-beauty, F-beauty, or Filipino beauty, has sprung up to cater to darker Southeast Asian skin tones. While many Asian beauty brands only cater to lighter skin tones, outliers like Sunnies Face are filling a void within the inclusive movement.

Beauty retailer Ulta launched UOMA Beauty, a cosmetics line founded by Nigerian-born entrepreneur Sharon Chuter. The exclusive collection features more than 51 shades of foundation, which are available in six different formulations designed to address different skin concerns, such as hyperpigmentation or redness, ensuring that consumers can find a foundation that not only matches their skin tone but meets their individual needs.

Birchbox, provider of monthly beauty and personal care subscription boxes, partnered with R29 Unbothered, a media platform aimed at Black Millennial women, to create two specially curated beauty kits for Black female consumers. Using data and insights collected from focus groups and a survey of more than 1,500 Black women, Birchbox and Unbothered created the “It’s Your Crown” hair kit and “Stay Radiant” skin kit. Each box features products from Black-owned or Black-founded brands, along with illustrations from Black, queer illustrator Loveis Wise.

Skincare brand Atolla uses machine learning to create personalized serums based on each individual’s skincare needs. Each month, customers receive a Skin Health Kit in the mail and first answer a series of questions about their skin and lifestyle, then use special test strips to measure the moisture and pH level of different areas of their face. Atolla then creates a custom serum for each user based on their individual needs, using a machine-learning algorithm to track skin changes over time and adjust the formula

German skincare startup Skinmade has in-store kiosks that create skin creams custom-made for each client. The machine analyzes a client’s skin condition, then processes the results using cloud-based machine learning algorithms that determine the formula of the cream. The product is then quickly formulated within and dispensed by the machine.

DTC Danish beauty brand Comme Deux uses customer feedback to drive its product development. Using insights generated from email surveys, focus groups, consumer interviews, and Instagram polls, along with data from its monthly beauty box, Comme Deux is able to uncover consumer preferences, such as ideal colors, product textures, price points and more, and develop new products that need their target consumers’ needs.

Beauty-focused trade show Beautycon positions inclusivity at the center of its events via initiatives like GLAAD pronoun training for the Beautycon team, free on-site child care, and signs declaring that all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and abilities are welcome.

Direct-to-consumer corrective cosmetics brand Stryx was developed specifically for men’s skin, taking stubble and skin texture into account. The dual working coverup stick and tinted moisturiser come in plain black packaging and are designed to be matte and imperceptible when applied. Stryx is leveraging its social media channels to start new conversations and educate male consumers on makeup application and more.

At select Lancôme makeup counters, the cosmetics brand's color experts scan shoppers’ faces with a handheld device in order to determine their exact skin tone. From there, they use an in-store machine to mix a foundation that matches skin colors exactly. The custom foundation is ready in seconds, and the bottles come labeled with shopper’s unique complexion IDs for easy refills.