Stepping into the future of beauty, Palm Beach Tan, Inc. has shattered the boundaries between the digital and the real with an innovative collaboration.
Partnering with Arbelle, they introduced a game-changing solution to one of the beauty industry’s most persistent challenges: finding the perfect shade of tan without guesswork.
This case study delves into how Arbelle’s cutting-edge beauty AR technology not only enhanced Palm Beach Tan’s customer experience but also set a new standard for virtual beauty consultations.
Palm Beach Tan – The titans of tanning
Founded in 1990, Palm Beach Tan, Inc. is the leader in the indoor tanning industry, operating more than 650 locations nationwide, both corporate and franchise-owned, under the brands Palm Beach Tan and Planet Tan.
The company has revolutionized the industry through innovative technology, products, and services, as well as a commitment to the education of the brand’s more than 3000 salon beauty consultants.
Palm Beach Tan offers the convenience of rewards-based memberships and a full range of beauty services, including multiple levels of sunbed tanning beds, sunless spray tanning and wellness services including red light therapy and infrared spas, as well as its proprietary line of premium tanning, beauty, and skin care products, Premier Collection.
The challenge: Navigating the tan-tone terrain
Through its chain of nationwide salons, Palm Beach Tan specializes not only in sunbed tanning and beauty and wellness services but is also the leader in the spray tanning industry.
As such, they recognized a significant barrier to customer engagement: the fear of the unknown.
Customers may hesitate to try spray tanning due to uncertainty about how different shades would look on them. This challenge highlighted the need for a solution that could allow customers to visualize various tan shades on their skin in real time, thereby eliminating guesswork and enhancing confidence in their choices.
So, the company envisioned creating an exclusive Try Your Tan® tool, a digital innovation designed to enhance the customer experience significantly.
The challenge Palm Beach Tan aimed to tackle with this project was multifaceted. They sought to offer a solution that would allow customers to virtually try on the numerous different shades that Palm Beach Tan offers, making the experience as realistic as possible.
By leveraging the cameras on customers’ phones, the technology needed to enable users to seamlessly interface with the application, select from exclusive tan shades, and virtually visualize themselves with their chosen option.
This capability was crucial in overcoming the inherent “fear of the unknown” associated with spray tanning. By allowing customers to try tan shades in real-time through their phones or laptops, whether on the company’s web or mobile app, the Try Your Tan® tool aimed to dispel doubts and enable customers to confidently choose their ideal customized tan shade.
Crafting confidence with Arbelle
Arbelle’s cutting-edge beauty AR technology provided the perfect solution to Palm Beach Tan’s challenge.
“Arbelle’s technology stood out for its combination of realistic rendering, customization options, and advanced facial tracking, making it a compelling choice for us to implement a virtual try-your-skin solution.”
– Gorkem Yamandag, SVP, Technology & Project Management
Arbelle’s SDK harnesses advanced algorithms to accurately simulate a wide array of bronzer options. This sophisticated technology allows users to experiment with and find the perfect skin shade, offering a realistic try-on experience.
Moreover, what sets Arbelle’s solution apart is its ability to provide extensive customization options. Palm Beach Tan leveraged these options to tailor the application to match its unique branding and product offerings, thereby creating a distinctive and captivating Try Your Tan® experience that truly resonated with their target audience.
In addition, our SDK incorporates cutting-edge facial tracking technology, enabling it to detect and track facial features with precision and accuracy in real time. This ensures that the virtual tan application is seamlessly integrated and perfectly aligned with the user’s facial contours. Such precision not only enhances the realism of the try-on experience but also significantly boosts user engagement and satisfaction by providing a personalized and immersive interaction with the technology.
All in all, the cooperation resulted in the now highly popular Try Your Tan® tool on the Palm Beach Tan website and mobile app, extensively used by both members and prospects.
Its success also extended beyond digital platforms, becoming an invaluable asset for in-store beauty consultants. The tool has significantly enriched the consultation process, enabling consultants to effectively educate and guide customers through the customized tanning options available, thereby elevating the overall service quality and customer experience offered by Palm Beach Tan.
A new era of tanning experience
The collaboration between Arbelle and Palm Beach Tan has set a new standard in the beauty industry, offering customers a novel way to explore and select tanning options with confidence. The Try Your Tan® feature has become a valuable resource for both online users and in-store beauty consultants, significantly improving the customer journey and satisfaction.
As Palm Beach Tan looks to the future, the potential for expanding this technology promises even greater enhancements to the customer experience, reaffirming the value of innovation in meeting and exceeding consumer expectations.
“We would highly recommend Arbelle’s technology as it has easily integrated with Palm Beach Tan’s virtual storefronts and enhanced our members’ experience. In addition, the platform has been stable, requiring little maintenance. We hope to work with Arbelle in the future to expand the capabilities of the Try Your Tan® tool to include more options.”
– Gorkem Yamandag, SVP, Technology & Project Management
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