In an more and more aggressive digital market, cosmetics and private care manufacturers face mounting strain to make sure their merchandise are simply discoverable, clearly communicated, and precisely aligned with evolving client expectations.
A current survey of over 2,000 customers by product content material optimization platform Lily AI highlighted a major disconnect between how merchandise are described on-line and the way customers truly seek for them, with {industry} jargon typically serving as a barrier reasonably than a bridge to conversion.
From complicated product names and imprecise descriptors to overly technical language, “service provider converse” can hinder discovery and drive customers away. The report’s information confirmed that 80% of customers have deserted a search as a result of unclear or ineffective product descriptions, and 85% are keen to modify manufacturers once they can’t discover what they’re on the lookout for.
On this CosmeticsDesign Q&A, Purva Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO at Lily AI shared insights on how synthetic intelligence helps CPG manufacturers overcome these challenges.
CDU: The analysis highlights that {industry} jargon in product descriptions can confuse customers and hinder product discovery. What are some widespread examples of “service provider converse” within the magnificence and private care {industry}, and the way can AI assist manufacturers translate technical product particulars into consumer-friendly language?
Purva Gupta (PG): “Service provider converse” refers back to the {industry} jargon, usually technical, scientific, brand-specific, or marketing-heavy language, utilized by each the service provider and advertising groups of shops and types. This insider language typically doesn’t resonate with customers and misses the boat utterly in client search and discovery efforts.
For instance, within the magnificence {industry}, overly technical product descriptions like “encompasses a patented bio-fermented complicated that enhances epidermal renewal on the mobile degree” is a standard sort of “service provider converse.” Does anybody seek for that? And once they learn it, do they even know what which means?
One other instance, much less on the technical entrance, but extra on the model voice entrance…a magnificence product referred to as “Glow Play Cushiony Blush in Warmth Index.” What’s a “cushiony” blush? What coloration is “Warmth Index”? What does “Glow Play” do for me?
Right this moment, AI can clear up one of many greatest challenges for retailers: serving to customers discover the proper merchandise that meet their distinctive and customized wants rapidly and simply. Our current analysis report uncovered that two-thirds (66%) of individuals imagine that retailers use product language and descriptions that make it too difficult for them to seek out what they need.
AI can assist with this by dynamically optimizing product content material — each on the entrance finish for shopper-facing content material and the again finish for AI and search engine consumption — so manufacturers and retailers can guarantee their merchandise are precisely described, simply found, and exactly related to what customers need. AI empowers retailers to steadiness merchant-and marketer-driven language with consumer-centric attributes and duplicate, bettering readability and confidence from the very first search by way of to buy.
This new era of AI ranges the taking part in area. It helps companies of all sizes improve product visibility, enhance search relevance, and personalize advertising at scale. Retailers who embrace AI-optimized product content material are higher outfitted to fulfill customers the place they’re, guaranteeing the proper merchandise seem on the proper time — driving discovery, connection, and conversion.
CDU: How does AI-powered product content material optimization particularly enhance searchability for cosmetics and private care merchandise? Are you able to share examples of how magnificence manufacturers have efficiently leveraged AI to enhance product descriptions and drive conversions?
PG: Product content material optimization (PCO) is the automated, dynamic means of enriching product information with client, service provider, marketer, and machine-friendly product data. With PCO built-in throughout a retailer’s promoting and e-commerce stack, magnificence manufacturers and retailers can enhance product discoverability throughout conventional channels like Google (all surfaces), TikTok, Meta (e.g. Fb, Instagram), e-commerce websites and marketplaces, in addition to generative-AI powered serps.
Lily AI’s platform analyzes client searches and dynamically enriches product information with consumer-centric language that’s custom-made and optimized for the distinctive specs of a given platform. The product content material enhancements span attributes, synonyms, tendencies, phrases, titles, and lengthy and brief descriptions in each consumer-facing and backend contexts.
For instance, if a lipstick is described as “ginger,” however a client is on the lookout for “peach,” the platform, drawing on the biggest proprietary library of human-labeled information and industry-specific observations and learnings, will perceive that “ginger” could possibly be correlated to “peach,” “tender orange” or “heat beige,” enabling the “ginger lipstick” to point out up in outcomes when somebody searches for “peach lipstick” or “summer season shade lipstick.”
Product content material optimization additionally ensures retailers have sufficient descriptors and context associated to their merchandise that buyers additionally get the small print they should encourage a purchase order choice.
And what’s fantastic about at the moment’s AI options is that we will incorporate model voice into the optimized content material so {that a} model’s merchandise can nonetheless be differentiated from their opponents and stay distinctive within the thoughts of the buyer.
Estée Lauder Corporations, Sephora, and L’Oréal every proceed to impress us with their AI-powered customer-centric methods. Whereas particular person manufacturers are experimenting with fascinating initiatives as effectively, we predict these three pioneers are ones to look at for inspiration and outcomes!
CDU: The research discovered that 80% of customers have deserted a search as a result of ineffective product descriptions. What are the largest errors magnificence manufacturers make on the subject of on-line product descriptions, and the way can they appropriate them to enhance the buying expertise?
PG: Shoppers know the kind of product they need for his or her customized magnificence routine and anticipate magnificence retailers to have the ability to assist them meet their wants rapidly and relevantly. Because of this, retailers and types should reevaluate how they describe their merchandise on-line to higher align with the phrases that buyers usually use in a search.
Right this moment, “merchant- and marketer-speak” is utilized manually by each eCommerce and advertising groups in search of to encourage and differentiate, but as a result of guide processes and a dominant deal with romance copy, we find yourself seeing:
- Inherent subjectivity can create inconsistencies in output, relying on the one who is manually inputting data
- Human error creates incomplete, inaccurate, unclear, and irrelevant information
- A elementary lack of automation that creates inefficiencies and course of overhead
Sadly, industry-driven product content material is usually void of each pure client language and contextual understanding (“consumer-speak”). It’s additionally not optimized for AI, whereby brokers and algorithms (“machine-speak”) at the moment are making rational choices and taking unbiased actions.
Does anybody actually seek for “Garance” or “Dragon Woman” crimson lipstick? Do they store for “Warmth Index Cushiony Blush?” In all probability solely those that are fortunate sufficient to be shopping for a second time round! Let’s not make these first-time purchasers accomplish that a lot work to attach with the brand new merchandise they’d like to attempt to use of their each day routines.
Magnificence manufacturers and retailers should meet clients the place they’re, which is usually on the very starting. By recognizing that the net buying expertise is evolving, particularly with regard to the place customers are discovering and trying to find merchandise and the way they search, magnificence manufacturers can really make their mark.
Because the traces between digital commerce and digital advertising blur, those who swiftly undertake applied sciences to reinforce product descriptions and optimize search and discovery experiences wherever they happen will win the client’s coronary heart, face, and nails.
CDU: With 85% of customers keen to modify manufacturers if they’ll’t discover what they’re on the lookout for, how can cosmetics and private care manufacturers guarantee they’re not shedding clients as a result of poor product descriptions or ineffective search phrases?
PG: Shoppers know what they need and need it now. Our report uncovered that greater than half of customers (57%) stated they use a retailer’s search bar when buying on-line and expressed the significance of the outcomes being related and aligned to their search.
Nonetheless, if customers aren’t capable of finding what they’re on the lookout for, they’re keen to go elsewhere to seek out it. And to be clear, after we say they know what they need, they’re looking with phrases and phrases similar to “light-weight on a regular basis blush” or “pure wanting blush with a delicate dewy glow, not shiny.”
Once they know the model, actually they could use the branded phrases “tender glam satin basis” or “classic single extract essence,” but most of the time, when on the lookout for one thing new to fulfill a specific want of their magnificence life, they’re utilizing much more colloquial and easy language.
Using product content material optimization (PCO) is vital for the sweetness {industry} to make sure they continue to be in sync with their clients and never make them do an excessive amount of work to know their merchandise with complicated, brand- and industry-specific descriptions. When executed appropriately, the “lustreglass sheer-shine lipstick ” from Model A is extra more likely to come up in a Gen Zer’s seek for an “eco-friendly sheer lip coloration” on TikTok, in addition to a Gen Xer’s seek for a “mild shiny lipstick with pure elements” on Google.
Through the use of AI, all of the ways in which customers seek for merchandise can now be understood and answered with the optimum merchandise, making it simpler for individuals to seek out precisely what they need, regardless of the place they store or search.
CDU: The survey discovered that 71% of customers are keen to spend extra once they have search expertise. What’s the potential income influence for magnificence and private care manufacturers that put money into AI-driven product content material optimization, and what metrics ought to they observe to measure success?
PG: The potential income influence for magnificence and private care manufacturers investing in AI-driven product content material optimization is critical. With 71% of customers keen to spend extra after a seamless search expertise, magnificence manufacturers that optimize their product content material for each customers and AI-powered serps — Google AI Overviews, Google Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or others — are higher positioned to seize elevated buyer spend, drive increased conversion charges, and enhance total gross sales.
AI-optimized content material ensures merchandise present up in related search outcomes, lowering friction within the path to buy. It additionally signifies that after the buyer finds what they’re on the lookout for, the product consists of sufficient particulars within the type of descriptions, highlights, photographs, movies, and critiques to shut the sale.
This results in increased discoverability, stronger client engagement, and in the end, improved loyalty — particularly essential in extremely classes like magnificence and private care.
Specifically, on the subject of measuring success, our model shoppers observe key metrics similar to: enhancements to Google High quality Scores and Advert Rank, impressions carry, clicks, PDP visits, conversion, and most significantly, gross sales development. By specializing in these indicators, manufacturers can immediately tie AI content material optimization efforts to measurable income development and long-term client loyalty.
CDU: As AI continues to form e-commerce within the magnificence {industry}, what rising tendencies ought to cosmetics and private care manufacturers pay attention to?
PG: One space that I’m most enthusiastic about is Agentic AI, and I believe it’s one thing all of us have to pay shut consideration to – it’s right here to remain and can solely get higher, and it’ll get higher briefly order, too. I do know that some individuals say Agentic is within the midst of a significant hype cycle, and whereas that could be true in sure regards, I nonetheless assume it’s essential for retailers and types to rapidly analysis related options to their present challenges, undertake early and experiment to be able to stay aggressive and related.
When product information foundations are correct, related, wealthy, and optimized, Agentic AI options can play a precious position in autonomously and proactively analyzing data and conditions, making high-quality choices, and performing independently. This may permit people to carry out artistic and higher-level technique and decision-making work.
This yr, issues will transfer quick, however the creativity, particularly in such a human-centric {industry}, will stay with individuals whereas AI will be capable of push ahead how that creativity will get into the arms of customers.
We have to be receptive to doing issues very otherwise and leveraging AI to do what it does finest. Importantly, we have to bridge the hole in language between manufacturers and customers. With AI, it’s a reasonably straightforward but extremely profitable repair. Completely satisfied clients spend cash and turn out to be model loyalists – and that may be a stunning outcome for everybody!
