A product page for a lipstick has a lot of jobs. It has to show what the product looks like, what colour it is and whether it will suit the person looking at it. Photos, swatches and try-on each help with a different part of that.
Product photos
Photos show the packaging, the texture and the mood of the product. They are great for appeal, but colour can shift between screens, so they are not always the best guide to the exact shade.
Swatches
A swatch shows the colour on skin or as a flat sample. It is closer to the real shade than a styled photo, but it still can't show how the colour will look on a particular shopper's lips.
What swatches can't do
A swatch on an arm or a model's hand doesn't account for the shopper's own lip colour or skin tone, which is often the thing they are most unsure about.
Virtual try-on
Try-on shows the shade on the shopper's own face, which answers the question the other two can't: will this suit me? It works best when the shade data behind it is accurate.
Photos make a shopper want it. Swatches tell them the colour. Try-on tells them how it looks on them.
Using all three
The three work well together. Keep your photography and swatches strong, and treat try-on as the final step that turns interest into confidence.
Alba
Founder, Alba VTO
