Benefit’s Benemart Pop Up in Virtual World for the Holidays

Benefit Cosmetics’ grocery-themed beauty pop-up, Benemart, is going from physical reality at Selfridges to the immersive web to spread some holiday cheer to the virtual world, the company told WWD.

Built by virtual store developer Obsess, the 3D shopping experience opens on Monday, marking Benefit’s first foray into immersive virtual commerce. Like the real world version, the digital Benemart was designed to mimic a grocery store, but with shelves stocked with beauty items and kits, such as Extra Glam Infused, Lookin’ Crisp, Pore Mixed Medley and others.

Visitors enter the space through a customizable avatar, with a few choices for skin, hair and clothes. They can use the characters to walk the store, tap products to see details or add goods to their cart. The system connects to Benefit’s e-commerce site, most visibly at checkout, as it pulls up the company’s standard transaction page.

But it’s not just a transactional experience, according to Toto Haba, Benefit’s senior vice president of global omnichannel marketing. To begin with, the Benemart concept has been about bringing on the fun.

“We really wanted to have just the best place for our customers to experience the brand,” Haba said. “So we knew we wanted to be continually adding on new features that are fun and exciting for customers to experience. [And] we had this holiday collection coming up that was just so compelling.”

If the grocery angle seems like a surprising choice, that was by design. “Having a holiday set that is something that you’re not expecting was really our goal,” she said.

It fits Benefit’s broader ethos. The brand prides itself on showing up in unexpected places, from airports to luxury department stores, and in unusual ways — from branded vending machines to grocery store cosplay.

For its virtual Benemart shop, the company wanted to amp up the experience in a few specific ways. First, people can tour the store alone or shop with friends by sharing a link, making it more social. If they need help, they can shop alongside a local Benefit Beauty Expert as well.

Gaming, which Habba called “the new social,” offers another dimension that helps distinguish the virtual store from the physical version. It starts with the use of a gaming-like avatar and extends to mini games, such as scavenger hunts and digital scratch-off cards, with promos or discounts as prizes.

The platform also offers an augmented reality brow try-on tied to the tool on Benefit’s website. A window pops up showing the view from the front-facing camera so shoppers can digitally try on beauty products without leaving the environment. Camera-shy visitors can use an uploaded pic or see the look on a model instead.  

“They also have this kind of holiday gift guide quiz,” said Neha Singh, chief executive officer of Obsess. “So we see super high engagement from quizzes and personalized recommendations. In this case, you answer questions, and then it gives you a product that’s based on your answers.”

Indeed, it’s not just about fun and games. There are business advantages to the approach, which yields data on how visitors move through the virtual store and what’s grabbing their attention.

“We capture all the interaction analytics, essentially where you’re going in the experience, what you’re tapping on, what games you’re playing, what products you’re clicking on,” Singh said. “We capture all of that, and then the brand is able to see it in a heat map, essentially with the layout of the store.”

This heat map shows which zones get the most traffic or engagement, she added.

For Obsess — which has developed virtual stores from Ralph Lauren, L’Oréal, J.Crew, Alo Yoga, E.l.f. Cosmetics, Laneige, Charlotte Tilbury and others — this type of insight is a fundamental part of the platform. That will be a mainstay as it works with Benefit, which plans to continue developing virtual experiences, and other beauty and fashion brands, as it pushes out onto other platforms and devices, such as Roblox and the Apple Vision Pro.

But for now, Obsess’ focus is on the launch of the new virtual Benemart, which is rolling out in the U.S., U.K., Germany and France.

The real-world Benemart pop-up, which was previously on view at Selfridges London, is currently situated at Selfridges Manchester Trafford Centre until Sunday. Next stop: Benefit Carnaby Flagship Boutique from Nov. 13 until January, with other global locations planned.