Estée Lauder
The New Holiday Shopping: An Immersive Virtual Experience
Team
15+ members Creative Directors
Art Directors
Animation Studio
Engineers
Production Artists
Photographers
Project managers
Contribution
3D Concept Design
Virtual Experience
Interaction Design
Timeline
12 months
Results
Successfully maintained brand visibility and engagement through strategic online initiatives.
Achieved a 4% increase in Gen Z consumers, reflecting successful market expansion efforts.
Developed immersive technology skills for future applications.
Results
Improved workflow completion rates by 38%.
Reduced onboarding drop-offs, increasing user retention.
Achieved zero navigation errors during usability testing.
Estée Lauder
The New Holiday Shopping: An Immersive Virtual Experience
Team
15+ members Creative Directors
Art Directors
Animation Studio
Engineers
Production Artists
Photographers
Project managers
Contribution
3D Concept Design
Virtual Experience
Interaction Design
Timeline
12 months
Results
Successfully maintained brand visibility and engagement through strategic online initiatives.
Achieved a 4% increase in Gen Z consumers, reflecting successful market expansion efforts.
Developed immersive technology skills for future applications.
Results
Improved workflow completion rates by 38%.
Reduced onboarding drop-offs, increasing user retention.
Achieved zero navigation errors during usability testing.
Confidentiality Note
Some process artifacts related to this project are confidential and available upon request.
Please reach out for more details.
Hainan Duty Free Pop-up – Adapting immersive retail to global digital engagement amid travel restrictions.
The Challenge
COVID disrupted holiday shopping, requiring redesign of online journey to boost digital engagement and sales
Business Goals
Enhance Online Conversion Rates
Aim to increase online purchases, focusing on holiday gift sets.
Customer Attraction and Retention
Use innovative technology to attract and retain customers, particularly focusing on the Gen Z demographic.
Improve Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
Deliver an engaging, personalized online shopping experience.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Estée Lauder embarked on a transformative digital initiative to redefine the holiday shopping experience. The creation of an Immersive 3D Virtual Holiday Shop aimed to maintain customer engagement and drive online sales during a period of reduced physical store traffic.
Business Context
Hainan Duty Free Pop-up – Adapting immersive retail to global digital engagement amid travel restrictions.
Business Goals
Enhance Online Conversion Rates
Aim to increase online purchases, focusing on holiday gift sets.
Customer Attraction and Retention
Use innovative technology to attract and retain customers, particularly focusing on the Gen Z demographic.
Improve Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
Deliver an engaging, personalized online shopping experience.
Campaign with first ever 3D avatars
Discovery Process
To understand user pain points and improve the experience, I conducted comprehensive research:
To understand user pain points and improve the experience, I conducted:
Customer Insights
Conducted remote interviews revealing customers' desire for the personal touch found in-store.
Behavioral Analysis
Analyzed online shopping behaviors during the pandemic to pinpoint opportunities for digital enhancement.
Competitive Benchmarking
Identified differentiation opportunities by reviewing the luxury beauty sector.
Collaborative Workshops
Facilitated cross-functional team alignment on bridging technical possibilities with consumer needs.
Key Insight
Customers missed the in-store discovery experience, which became a focal point for the digital strategy.
Problem 1 - Loss of In-Store Engagement
Recreate the sensory and personal experience of in-store shopping.
Solution
Created an interactive 3D virtual environment replicating the luxurious in-store shopping experience with dynamic product exploration.
Problem 1 - Loss of In-Store Engagement
Recreate the sensory and personal experience of in-store shopping.
Solution
Created an interactive 3D virtual environment replicating the luxurious in-store shopping experience with dynamic product exploration.
Problem 1 - Loss of In-Store Engagement
Recreate the sensory and personal experience of in-store shopping.
Solution
Created an interactive 3D virtual environment replicating the luxurious in-store shopping experience with dynamic product exploration.
Exploring the immersive virtual world
Problem 1 - Loss of In-Store Engagement
Recreate the sensory and personal experience of in-store shopping.
Solution
Created an interactive 3D virtual environment replicating the luxurious in-store shopping experience with dynamic product exploration.
Exploring the immersive virtual world
Problem 2 - Limited Digital Interaction
Make online shopping more engaging and entertaining.
Solution
Designed 'spin the wheel' feature to email marketing, creating pre-visit excitement similar to in-store promotions.
Problem 2 - Limited Digital Interaction
Make online shopping more engaging and entertaining.
Solution
Designed 'spin the wheel' feature to email marketing, creating pre-visit excitement similar to in-store promotions.
Problem 2 - Limited Digital Interaction
Make online shopping more engaging and entertaining.
Solution
Designed 'spin the wheel' feature to email marketing, creating pre-visit excitement similar to in-store promotions.
Physical retail reimagined for digital engagement
Problem 2 - Limited Digital Interaction
Make online shopping more engaging and entertaining.
Solution
Designed 'spin the wheel' feature to email marketing, creating pre-visit excitement similar to in-store promotions.
Physical retail reimagined for digital engagement
Problem 3 - Technical Constraints
Required a rapid deployment within existing technical frameworks and budget constraints, which precluded the development of a fully custom 'add to cart' feature.
Solution
Integrated virtual store with existing e-commerce infrastructure to meet timelines and budget while ensuring seamless shopping.
Problem 3 - Technical Constraints
Required a rapid deployment within existing technical frameworks and budget constraints, which precluded the development of a fully custom 'add to cart' feature.
Solution
Integrated virtual store with existing e-commerce infrastructure to meet timelines and budget while ensuring seamless shopping.
Problem 3 - Technical Constraints
Required a rapid deployment within existing technical frameworks and budget constraints, which precluded the development of a fully custom 'add to cart' feature.
Solution
Integrated virtual store with existing e-commerce infrastructure to meet timelines and budget while ensuring seamless shopping.
Problem 3 - Technical Constraints
Required a rapid deployment within existing technical frameworks and budget constraints, which precluded the development of a fully custom 'add to cart' feature.
Solution
Integrated virtual store with existing e-commerce infrastructure to meet timelines and budget while ensuring seamless shopping.
Integrating established design system into virtual environment
Development Process
To understand user pain points and improve the experience, I conducted:
3D Product Visualization
Developed high-quality 3D renderings and interactive elements to enrich the user interface.
Prototyping and Testing
Employed iterative design processes based on user feedback to refine navigation and user interaction.
Technical Development & Launch
Collaboration with engineering to ensure a technically sound, seamless launch.
Future Outlook
The project has set new benchmarks in digital retail within the luxury beauty sector and demonstrated the effectiveness of advanced technology combined with customer-centric design. Estée Lauder continues to innovate, using insights from this project to enhance both online and in-store customer experiences, ensuring that the brand remains at the forefront of the digital and omnichannel retail strategy.
Future Outlook
The project has set new benchmarks in digital retail within the luxury beauty sector and demonstrated the effectiveness of advanced technology combined with customer-centric design. Estée Lauder continues to innovate, using insights from this project to enhance both online and in-store customer experiences, ensuring that the brand remains at the forefront of the digital and omnichannel retail strategy.
© 2025 Designed & built in New York
© 2025 Designed & built in New York
© 2025 Designed & built in New York
© 2025 Designed & built in New York