阿里巴巴| Alibaba Tries on Virtual Reality Dressing Room

Augmented-reality screens let you try before you buy (virtually)

Indecisive shoppers can now sample, try out and purchase lipstick, mascara and other cosmetics in the dressing room armed with just a smartphone, but only in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

The virtual reality make-up trials are a real world option now that Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Tmall has rolled out a “smart dressing room” in the Hangzhou West Lake Intime mall, according to local media reports.

The dressing room features two “virtual makeup mirrors” created by Tmall, which let customers try out cosmetic products digitally by displaying a simulation of how they would look. If shoppers are satisfied with the results, they can use their phones to scan the product’s QR code and make a purchase, and the goods will be delivered to their doors.

Vending Machines Get a New Spin

Automatic vending machines are also installed in the female-targetted initiative, with the booth offering personal care products like sanitary pads for RMB 1 cent ($0.0016) via QR codes. Cosmetics like lipstick, mascara and dry shampoo from international brands Lancome, Benefit and Shu Uemura are available through the machines.

Inside the dressing room, customers can buy cosmetics from a vending machine

A Tmall representative told local media that the e-commerce brand intends to partner with tourist attractions and hotels to open more smart dressing rooms.

Tmall Makes Breastfeeding Smarter Too

The Alibaba business-to-consumer online sales platform also experimented with a “smart breastfeeding room” in Intime’s Beijing mall last year. Customers can control the room’s lighting, curtains, humidifier and even background music through voice commands. Like the smart dressing room, the high-tech breastfeeding room features a screen showcasing products to drive purchases.

Alibaba has recently ramped up its efforts to incorporate mobile technology in the retail industry. Last July, the company debuted its staff-free Tao Cafe in a five-day event. The mainland e-commerce giant opened the first of its HEMA tech-enabled supermarkets in its home city of Hangzhou in December, while outlining a plan to open 2,000 of the online-integrated grocery stores.