SEPHORiA - Virtual House of Beauty
As a member of the LVMH family, the world's leading luxury goods group, Sephora is a highly regarded force in global markets, dedicated to enhancing and redefining the beauty shopping journey. For the hybrid event SEPHORiA 2023 we have developed in close partnership with the U.S.-based marketing agency On Board Experiential (OBE) an interactive brand experience hub, hosted on our metaverse platform solution. ‘Virtual SEPHORiA 2023’ unfolds alongside the SEPHORiA House of Beauty in-person event in New York City, offering free access to a broader global audience who enthusiastically engaged and shopped at this digital venue.
Crafting a hybrid event architecture
Drawing upon our experience in crafting virtual brand environments, we were responsible for identifying and leveraging opportunities and gamified use-cases in the Metaverse space. This involved providing a solid foundation of knowledge, UX strategies, as well as technical design and implementation.
A home for the 50+ Brands
Sephora takes pride in curating an exquisite collection of the world's most esteemed beauty brands, each of which we granted a virtual showcase within three different spaces - Lobby, Theater, Apartment - while 'The Apartment.' served as an exciting and interactive virtual marketplace for over 50 beauty brands, delivering real added value for their business.
The Apartment
This boldly designed level comprises six distinct brand co-op zones, each thoughtfully tied to an idea of beauty. ‘The Garden' brands believe in organic love and care, brands in 'The Gallery' celebrate self and expression, and 'The Kitchen' spotlights brands at the intersection of science and formulation to name a few. Each brand has a stage for personal videos and product info, resulting in 450K video views and 3800+ hours of streaming. Users can easily shop their favorite products via direct links to Sephora's brand pages.
The Lobby
The lobby served as a vibrant starting point for our audience, buzzing with life. Within this entertainment hub, users could engage with dedicated Beauty Advisors, avatars who provided guidance and recommendations on beauty and skincare products through live-chat sessions.
Fun at the hear of the house
The lobby also features two engaging games. In 'Beauty Match Up,' users test their memory by matching symbols on floor tiles, controlling their avatars with real physics. 'Beauty Trivia' tests users' Sephora brand knowledge, creating an entertaining challenge while strengthening their connection with Sephora and its co-op brands. Both games feature a captivating large screen that guides passersby through the gameplay, resulting in over 2300 hours of play time.
Engaging and Interactive
The platform offers participants an exciting opportunity to discover hidden lipsticks at various Points of Interest throughout the venue. Tied to market-specific promotions a Proof-of-Attendance-Protocol NFT can be redeemed as well for diverse rewards and discounts.
Demodern’s virtual event platform (.ve) as the fundament of the house.
When it comes to technical implementation, Virtual SEPHORiA was hosted on a customized version of our proprietary metaverse platform solution. A well-considered decision, as the platform provides an ideal foundation, thanks to its flexibility and scalability. The basic technological architecture was given, but the enriched featureset, the adapted frontend and the room designs were 100% custom build according to the needs and corporate identity of the House of Beauty. To grant accessibility to a huge audience, the platform capacity was upscaled to being able to hold up to 20K concurrent visitors. We also enriched the standart .ve avatars by a set of badges visitors can attach to their chests and show their support and respect to the Trans*, LGBTQIA+ and Disability Community. A small gesture with a big impact, because within the House of Beauty, beauty is for everyone.
Keeping users engaged
The platform successfully blends entertainment, business value, and community engagement, making Virtual SEPHORiA a dynamic and impactful online event.
