A tech-driven beauty retail sensation at Tokyo’s luxury shopping hotspot.

Building on the momentum gained by Future X Smart Stores, SK-II was invited to take over the center stage at Isetan—Tokyo’s most prestigious, luxury department store. Our team designed and built the retail experience using various technologies in innovative ways to drive trial and purchase, bringing to life the special ‘Confetti’ edition of SK-II’s most popular product.

Overview

As a continuation of the effort to drive trial and purchase through innovative retail experiences, we helped bring SK-II to Tokyo’s most prestigious retail destination, Isetan Shinjuku, for a week-long activation in the brand’s biggest market. The center stage at Isetan is a highly-sought-after activation space typically reserved for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada—so receiving the invitation to take over the spotlight marked an important milestone in SK-II’s partnership with Isetan.

In my role as Creative Director, I led the conceptual development and creative production of the ‘Confetti’-themed activation, as part of SK-II’s larger ‘Power of Pitera’ campaign. Overseeing and collaborating with a global team of creatives, technologists, and vendors to elevate the retail experience through a novel use of tech, I designed a dynamic user journey that brought to life the playful aspects of the ‘Confetti’ bottle and focused on product trial, conversion and a bit of fun (it’s Confetti, after all).

Expanding on SK-II’s proprietary skin scan, our team built a touchless, digital product trial experience, a 180-degree selfie moment, an AR-enabled story wall, and a complex physical-digital vending machine. To meet the demands of an aggressive timeline, we worked with fabrication partners to construct a modular system that could be easily built and tested in a local warehouse in Tokyo and installed within an overnight window of just 8 hours.

Two-sided Confetti concept

To play off the both the red and mint-colored special edition Confetti bottles, the space was designed into two identical halves—inviting consumers to be immersed in the pop-inspired artwork of the bottle and street-inspired campaign imagery. In the middle of the stage was a glass-encased selfie booth with a red and mint lenticular backdrop, serving as the perfect transition effect to merge both sides.

At each point of the triangular stage structure was a vibrant display using transparent LED panels and motion sensors that enabled passersby to interact with animated motion graphics.

Touchless product trial bar

We knew we could offer an experience that enabled more product trial in store, while also solving user pain points and inspiring a more delightful experience. With a simple objective of customer ease and comfort, we designed and built a product trial bar that leveraged eye-tracking technology to guide users through a hands-free product tutorial, while serving as a clean mirrored interface. At this bar, users could explore different products, and navigate the digital experience simply using their eyes—eliminating the need to touch any surfaces while applying product. The minimal, sleek design of the mirrored interface aligned closely with a beauty vanity, rather than the harsh lights of an LED screen, creating a more comfortable and luxurious experience for users.

Interactive vending machine

To inspire in-store purchases, we created an interactive, entertaining vending machine in partnership with 10xBeta. A highly complex, physical-digital experience, the vending machine integrated Confetti-themed animations as well as volumetric design elements in a fully-choreographed audiovisual sequence. By purchasing a limited-edition physical token to activate the machine, users could witness SK-II products transform into the latest Confetti-themed packaging—a collector’s item released seasonally for a limited time only—and retrieve the dispensed product at the end of the experience.

180° camera array selfie moment

To commemorate the event, visitors could capture a shareable selfie asset in a 180-degree camera array, bringing enthusiasm and branded animated visuals to social media throughout the event. Using a clever lenticular design, the backdrop of the booth offered an animated transition between both the red and mint Confetti colorways in the final video export.

Buzzworthy outcomes

The week-long activation garnered much buzz and excitement from customers, with lines for entry wrapping around the main floor surrounding Isetan’s center stage, and was considered a massive success by SK-II and their Isetan partners. The Confetti pop-up was later installed in nearby Harajuku for a longer activation, leveraging many of the modular design components from Isetan’s event.

SK-II Confetti Event Video

Project credits and info

My role: Creative Director

Collaborators: Steve Croll, Alex Czetwertynski, Carl Horned, Joe Donnelley, Emil Lanne, Jacqueline Pifer, Freeka Tet

Tech partners: 10XBeta (Vending Machine), Super A-OK (180° Camera Array)

Agency: Huge

Client: SK-II

Retail Innovation, Brand Experience, XR, Spatial Design, Interaction Design, Branding Design, Physical-Digital Innovation, Motion Gesture Design

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