After more than a year when most of us had no choice but to do most of our shopping online, Lush was far from the only retailer which had to rely heavily on technology to keep going. Yet even now as things seem to be returning to something closer to a pre-pandemic reality and we look forward to going getting out of the house to go shopping (imagine!) that doesn’t mean we have to give up all the benefits that technology can add to making the retail experience better.

Lush Lens was designed to offer customers a packaging-free and contact-free shopping experience.
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With that in mind, the handmade cosmetics company has just relaunched the Lush App, developed in collaboration with Saleor using open-source technology in line with Lush’s Digital Ethics Mission Statement. It will allow customers to browse product ranges with improved search optimisation, a new checkout process, and new ways to pay.

Lush Lens has had 2.6 million scans since its launch on iOS in 2018
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The app – which is now available in the UK on iOS and Android – features for the first time one of the most successful #LushLabs features, called Lush Lens, a mobile AR feature which was designed by Lush’s in-house tech R&D team to offer customers a packaging-free and contact-free shopping experience.

Lush Lens has had 2.6 million scans since its launch on iOS in November 2018, prompting the company’s founder, Mark Constantine, to assert that the technology had the potential to revolutionize the packaging industry, and even possibly eliminate it.

“At Lush we make products by hand, with fresh and ethically sourced ingredients, and this informs our digital products too. I’m so proud of the new platform the teams have created which showcases the best of what we can do – ethical treatment of customers’ data, created using open source technologies and providing a five star customer experience, with a few Lush surprises along the way,” says Jack Constantine, Chief Digital Officer at Lush.

Lush Digital believes in ethical tech that ultimately gives back more than it takes from society and the environment
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Lush champions ethical hardware, ethical data, ethical design and open source technologies. Just as the company ethically sources ingredients, Lush Digital believes in ethical tech that ultimately gives back more than it takes from society and the environment.

Adam Goswell, Lush Tech R&D, believes that such technology can add (not replace) in giving quality, up to date information in matching customers with the perfect product.

“If we can reduce the time spent at the till or eliminate the queue (which we all hate) then technology is really going to elevate the retail experience to be much more about human interaction and experience,” he believes.

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Alice Bonasio is a technology journalist, communications consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter

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With awareness of plastic pollution at an all-time high, Lush’s newest Naked shops offer literally hundreds of innovative and plastic packaging-free alternatives to your favourite cosmetics, and technology plays a key role in making that work.

With awareness of plastic pollution at an all-time high, Lush’s Naked shops offer hundreds of innovative and plastic packaging-free alternatives
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Rather than scanning labels for information, visitors to the shop will instead be able to scan products directly using the new #LushLabs app replacing packaging with a digital solution
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“We think the future implications of this technology are they we’re able to further reduce packaging and printed materials and offer a richer alternative that gives consumers education about the benefits of cosmetics plus features such as ordering and sharing.

It is only now, after 20 years of development, that we are able to fill up a whole shop with innovative naked cosmetic alternatives
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Lush Lens is an in development experience feature which enables Lush to reduce their impact on the environment by using the phone’s camera and Machine Learning to recognise products through the user’s smartphone camera, and give the customer detailed ingredient information and ‘how to use’ demonstrations via the app.

A while back the company opened the first such shop in Milan, which was a resounding success and convinced them there was definitely an appetite among consumers for this seemingly radical alternative to traditional, over-packaged cosmetics.

“Reducing packaging is something Lush has been working on for many, many years, says Adam Goswell Global Creative Technology, UX, Mobile & Innovation. “However, it is only now, after 20 years of development, that we are able to fill up a whole shop with innovative naked cosmetic alternatives, and offer a brand new shopping experience using technology alongside it.”

Technology has a role in reducing our environmental impact
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“The launch of the Lush Manchester Naked Shop, was an exciting day with an exciting and loud mix of our customers, staff and the press getting hands on with our packaging free shop concept.

“We’re using the shop as another platform to demonstrate and use our technology which is currently in R&D where we’re using Machine Learning coupled with a camera from a phone, to allow anyone to recognise one of our handmade cosmetics without the need for traditional packaging,” says Goswell.

Here at Tech Trends we’re fan of Lush’s brand of ethical innovation
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Here at Tech Trends we’re fan of Lush’s brand of ethical innovation that has been showcased at several events we’ve attended which spans not only its retail shops but also a its amazing spa treatments.

“Technology has a role in reducing our environmental impact, and we’d hope this influences other cosmetics retailers and other industries to look at this technology to also aid in reducing plastic waste,” Goswell concludes.

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

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