Mac Cosmetics

MAC COSMETICS

Design Direction, Product Innovation, Customer Experience, Strategic Implementation

The goal of this project was to revolutionize how customers engage with MAC Cosmetics, both online and in-store. Traditionally, the cosmetics industry has relied heavily on physical retail experiences, but with the shift towards digital-first shopping, MAC recognized the need to evolve its customer journey. I led teams to develop a seamless, modern omnichannel experience that bridged the gap between the tactile in-store environment and the convenience of online shopping, ensuring that MAC remained a leader in the competitive beauty market.

Reimagining Customer Engagement & Retail Innovation

In today’s world of connected experiences and dynamic retail spaces, building a deeper relationship with the customer is essential. MAC sought to create a transformative experience that would not only redefine how customers interact with the brand but also revolutionize how they try on and purchase makeup. To achieve this, I led the initiative to revitalize MAC’s retail strategy by demonstrating innovation through cutting-edge experiences, starting with a groundbreaking concept store in Queens, NYC. This retail lab was designed to test new innovations with live consumers, gather real-time insights, and scale successful experiences across MAC’s global store fleet.

Innovating the Future of Retail: MAC’s Connected Experience

To demonstrate cutting-edge innovation in retail, MAC revitalized its in-store experience by launching a one-of-a-kind concept store in Queens, NYC. This retail lab serves as a testing ground for groundbreaking consumer experiences, using real-time feedback to shape future strategies and share successful innovations across the global store fleet.

In this unique environment, MAC customers now enjoy an unparalleled, connected experience in the cosmetics industry. The journey begins with MAC Pass, a personalized engagement tool activated by scanning a personal QR code at stations dedicated to Lips, Eyes, or Face. MAC Pass Studio builds a consumer profile that captures favorite products, shades, selfies, gifs, and more, allowing customers to easily access their preferences for future shopping. The ultimate vision is to create a seamless profile that integrates offline interactions with online engagements.

By signing into MAC Pass, the interactive try-on screens at each station personalize the shopping experience, ensuring that customer preferences follow them throughout their visit. Whether it’s exploring a lipstick at the Lips station or selecting complementary products at the Eyes and Face stations, customers enjoy a seamless blend of digital convenience and real-world engagement. This innovation transforms how choices made in the digital space are effortlessly brought into the physical world, delivering a truly unique, personalized shopping experience.

Human-Centered UX Design Elevates MAC’s Omnichannel Experience

A key factor that sets the new MAC Cosmetics omnichannel experience apart is its user experience (UX) design. By adopting a human-centered approach, we placed the end-user at the core of the design process, ensuring their needs were prioritized at every touchpoint. Our team thoughtfully crafted tools that not only delivered the information MAC wanted customers to access, but also made the experience fun, engaging, and memorable.

By prioritizing entertainment and interactivity within the interface, we created an experience that not only captivated customers but also encouraged repeat visits and word-of-mouth sharing. This dynamic approach ensured that MAC’s digital experience remained both informative and enjoyable, fostering strong brand loyalty and elevating the overall customer journey.

I led the human-centered redesign of MAC’s web and mobile platforms, integrating immersive digital in-store experiences to create a seamless, omni-channel customer journey. The process involved extensive user research to ensure that every aspect of product development and design aligned with customer needs, resulting in a highly intuitive experience. By successfully merging web, mobile, and in-store interactions, we created a cohesive platform integration that elevated both digital and physical engagements, driving brand loyalty and delivering a superior customer experience.

Augmented Reality Enhances MAC's Virtual Try-On Experience

With the upgraded Virtual Try-On feature, we integrated augmented reality (AR) technology to offer MAC customers a dynamic, interactive way to explore products both online and in-store. Users can try on a wide range of MAC products—lipsticks, eyeshadows, and more—directly from their personal devices or at interactive screens in the store. This feature allows customers to save favorites, capture selfies, create gifs, and seamlessly share their new virtual looks with friends, blending the convenience of digital technology with the excitement of real-time product discovery. The AR-powered experience not only enhances user engagement but also drives product exploration and brand loyalty.

Innovative RFID-Powered "Tap and Try" Enhances Instant Virtual Try-On Experience

Leveraging RFID technology, Tap and Try allows customers to instantly experience MAC products by simply picking them up. Instead of scrolling through virtual try-on (VTO) options on a screen or app, the RFID system recognizes the product in the customer’s hands and instantly displays the product on a virtual mirror, providing a seamless physical-to-virtual experience. This innovative approach not only enhances user engagement but also unlocks the potential for more intelligent, digitally activated product packaging, paving the way for future advancements in retail technology.

the results

Increase in engagement

In the first month

200%

Increase in MAC PASS in store engagement

33%

At the heart of the new MAC Cosmetics store experience, professional makeup artists continue to provide their invaluable expertise—a hallmark that distinguishes MAC from its competitors. In reimagining the store, we ensured this personalized service remained central to the customer journey. By leveraging aggregated preferences collected through MAC PASS STUDIO, artists are now equipped with deeper insights into customer preferences, enabling them to deliver highly personalized recommendations and more meaningful interactions. This seamless integration of technology and human expertise enhances both the customer experience and brand loyalty, ensuring that MAC's high-touch service remains a standout in the beauty industry.

qualitative feedback

The lip “tap and try” experience has been called the best section of the store due to ease of navigation, clear shade imagery, and connection to Virtual Try On (VTO).

Eye VTO is fun and engaging, so much so that we are amplifying this section with individual eye shade try on (vs. looks).

Custom Printing is a favorite element of the store, with customers loving the ability to make the lip bullet / eye palette their own.

Tap and Try is a beautiful solution that merges our omnichannel and store experience into a digitally driven world. The seamless use of mobile technologies, RFID, augmented reality and data analytics delivers an unparalleled experience to those who visit our store.

This new experience brings exceptional levels of personalisation. Everything from adding personal touches to the final packaging of purchased products to completely bespoke palettes created from the customer’s favourite colours have been considered in this push to give the user a completely unique cosmetics buying experience. And new features are planned to be rolled out in the near future. MAC is at the forefront of the future of the cosmetics experience and Valtech is proud to partner with them in bringing that future to life.

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