In February, Alibaba partnered with Chinese shopping mall chain InTime to launch an augmented reality restroom mirror. Via the mirror, women using the facilities at the mall can virtually test makeup looks. If they like the products, they can make purchases at an adjacent vending machine using a mobile QR code. The vending machine includes cosmetics brands such as Benefit, Lancome and Shu Uemura.

We’ve seen a number of augmented reality beauty innovations, from the cosmetic try-on tool now included with Samsung phones to Estee Lauder’s training app for makeup artists. But as AR becomes increasingly mainstream, it will take more than simply having a shiny new tech solution to delight customers. Instead, success will come from offering customers the right solution at just the right moment. And like many of the best trend-driven innovations this example does just that: taking an existing behavior and resolving an in-the-moment need in a novel way.

Indeed, you can also use this innovation to kick off a discussion on how your company will react to the impending future of retail. Even as e-commerce accounts for more and more retail transactions – e-retail sales are expected to rise from 10% to 17.5% of the global total by 2021 – what will your presence in brick-and-mortar spaces look like? Which new or neglected contexts could you be present in that would make physical locations work for you?

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