Beauty store uses your face to determine what language you speak
The Asian beauty market is known for its innovation, but the latest technology is taking things next level.
Popular Japanese makeup retailer, Ainz & Tulpe is the largest in the country and has long been a popular destination for shoppers both locally and abroad. Over the last few years there has been growing frustration over the inability to communicate with customers as more and more non Japanese-speaking shoppers make a special trip to Tokyo to visit the store.
According to a video published by Creativity-Online, only 3 per cent of Japanese people are able to speak a foreign language, which makes it difficult for staff to cater to the growing number of foreign shoppers.
Instead of teaching every employee how to speak languages such as Spanish or Chinese, the store installed interactive windows that can decipher what language you speak using facial recognition technology. Seriously.
Here’s how it works:
First, a customer approaches the windows where cameras have been installed to analyze their face and determine their native tongue. On the customer-facing side, the screen displays models styled in makeup looks that are currently trending in Japan. Once the shopper determines the look that most interests them, they touch the screen on that face and a ticket is printed with product information, how-to tips and coupons for product and in-store applications.
The real kicker is that the coupon is printed in the language detected from your face. Pretty impressive, right?
Creativity-Online
The screens were developed in partnership with Dentsu, an international ad agency and Japanese interactive production company Puzzle, Inc.. Though it’s unclear exactly how the machine is able to use features of the face to detect native tongue, the idea that this is even possible is pretty incredible.
Current languages the screen detects include English, Chinese, Spanish and Russian, though updates are being made regularly. Looks like we’ve found yet another reason to visit Japan.
