Color analysis: A new opportunity for the retail

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they used to say, but despite this saying, a hymn to freedom of expression and to indisputably of tastes, has always been used in beauty and fashion industry as an excuse for any purchase choice. Today this affirmation seems to be no longer true. Or it is?

The answer is no and the response comes from the color analysis, an image consulting branch that provides a scientific base which defines the concept of beauty in a sector leaded by trends and tastes, drawing up meticulous guidelines for a successful look creation based on the individual chromatic characteristics of every single person.

This theory has its roots in the Bauhaus painting of Johannes Itten, a portrait painter who first realized how the choice of a specific background has a direct influence on the portrait; how the colors of the face in the foreground were enhanced or dull depending on the shades of the season used in the background.

The results of this chromatic research have soon been applied in fashion and beauty field, with the publishing, at the end of 70s, of the book “Color me a Season” of Berenice Kenter, a cosmetologist and image consultant who first formalized the concept of Seasonal Theory, according to which, the colors of the face of a person are in harmony with the typical color of one of the four seasons, which, if used for the choice of garment, accessories or beauty, enhance the incarnate making the face prettier, healthier and more harmonic.

The color analysis, is based on the study of the tones, contrasts and intensity of the colors of the main face elements, which classifies the person in one of the four seasons, each one with associated specific color palettes called friends colors, an actual vademecum for the choice of garment, accessories and makeup.

Despite the principals of the color analysis have long been recognized and used by the field experts, the phenomenon become a trend in Italy just at the end of 2019, thanks to the influencer and image consultant Rossella Migliaccio and the book, published by Villardi, “Armocromia”.
The book, which consists of a manual on the rules governing color harmony and classification by seasons, has become a best seller, creating the term Armofollia.

The phenomenon, which has created numerous image consultants specializing in color analysis to respond to the growing demand, is today a great opportunity for brands in the fashion and beauty sectors to exploit the different potential of the trend to plan marketing capable of attracting consumers, increasing brand retention and expanding the user base with more complete and customized shopping experiences.

The partnership between Munogu with BBC Technologies designed an experience that brings color analysis into the store, using technologies capable of detecting the colors of a face through the acquisition of a photo, guaranteeing a precise and immediate color analysis.

Carrying out an in-store color analysis, as well as constituting an innovative service that responds to a growing demand, represents an ideal drive to store initiative as a starting point for building an omnichannel action that synergically involves the in-store and online experience, with both customer and corporate benefits, by building a new, faster and more personalized shopping experience.

Color analysis would first of all make the customers more aware and autonomous in the decision-making phase, offering a service that, in addition to being engaging, is of effective practical utility, capable of enriching and simplifying the experience in the choice phase and leading to greater post-purchase satisfaction.

The greater awareness of consumers should be followed with a cataloging of products in seasons, facilitating the customer journey both in the store and online, with the possibility of further personalizing the profile, allowing to the users to filter the products according to their “seasons”.

This service, beside constituting, brings an additional value by increasing brand retention and expanding the customer base in the store, influencing both customers loyalty and brand reputation, demonstrating attention and inclusiveness towards all phototypical characteristics, then allowing the company to implement a data collection based on a new objective segmentation criteria and on unchanging data over time, useful for CRM initiatives and personalized advertising.

The theme also acts as a pivot around which to plan communication strategies, involving both influencers and opinion leaders in the sector, and on which to build social events capable of generating content produced independently by consumers, contributing to the trend setting of the phenomenon.

The application of color harmony to the retail world therefore constitutes a fertile ground, still not sufficiently explored by companies, on which to design cross actions capable of making a difference in a period in which the consumer needs a valid reason to return to the store after a year that has upset the buying habits of many, shifting them online.

Therefore, if we have already answered the initial question, highlighting how the purchasing choices are now governed by a new concept of “beauty” regulated by precise scientific rules, another one appears: 

“Which brand will be the first to exploit the potential of this trend, making it an important opportunity to grow its business? “