www.dailymakeover.com and www.thehairstyler.com also include an array of celebrity styles you can try on your own photo. These days, the Internet can do everything short of cutting your hair. Now, it can accomplish even that — virtually, that is. With the technology of the Internet finally up to the challenge, beauty sites that can give users the experience of trying out any hairstyle or makeup that suits them without ever having to spend the money or take the risk of actually doing it are popping up. All that’s needed is an uploaded photo.
“We’ve seen that tipping point happen in financial services and one could argue that [that sector] got started earlier because of the nature of the demographic,” explains Jeanette McClennan, CEO of DailyMakeover.com. “Beauty management is at that tipping point where more women are online. The ability to upload photos and the desire to be able to use aspects of virtual reality in beauty management is far more realistic now than it was even a few years ago.”
Roy Caccamo, marketing director of TheHairstyler. com, adds that this try-on technology is not only effective in helping men and women find an appropriate look for their own features, it also provides a crucial tool of communication between a customer and his or her stylist. “We’re just providing a reference and a means to communicate between the salon stylist and the client,” says Caccamo.
While on the consumer side these interactive sites offer clear benefits, the technology fosters a relationship with the user that is an invaluable goal of any business on the Web. “[These sites define the] Web term, ‘high-engagement’ — offering a tool that did something that was instantly satisfying and rather addictive for women to utilize,” says McClennan.