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Know how AI is transforming consumer experiences

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At Hindustan Unilever Limited, we are leveraging the power of AI and cutting-edge technology to redefine the way we engage with our consumers. With next-gen consumer experiences via hyper-personalisation, we are driving brand loyalty while competing with digital-first brands to maximise consumer delight.

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Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is a market leader in the FMCG sector, with an impressive reach that extends to nearly nine out of ten households in India. The marketplace continues to evolve, and we are committed to transforming and rewiring how we engage with our consumers. We do this by leveraging data, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), which helps us deliver sustained business growth and superior consumer experiences.

Embracing AI in an increasingly digital world

Today, new marketing models are emerging and businesses are forming comprehensive digital ecosystems like beauty experience centers that seamlessly cater to consumers with an interconnected and consistent experience across offline and online channels.This shift towards consolidation and decentralization is set to reshape the retail and advertising landscape through technology-based decision-making.

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Driving HUL’s intelligent FMCG enterprise journey

Building granular consumer understanding is a key strategic priority across our enterprise. We use data to gain insights, create market segments, and develop highly personalised media and creative content. Additionally, we offer unique beauty tech experiences through Unilever’s global platforms. To achieve this, we’re building a strong, transformative, fit-for-purpose technology foundation using AI, natural language processing (NLP), rich consumer data, and marketing technology (Martech).

The rise in consumer engagement with AI in Beauty Tech

AI is at the heart of all our beauty tech experiences, enabled for bringing phygital experiences to consumer’s homes – right from understanding their skin/hair better (Skin/Hair analysers), understanding products (Virtual Try-ons), building salon-like regimes (recommendation engines) to learning complex makeup techniques (AI/AR based shape analysis and tutorials).

By making complex beauty experiences accessible and easy to use, we have launched AI enabled services on beauty brands like Lakmé, TRESemme, Pond’s, Indulekha, Acnesquad and Novology, resulting in over five million consumer trials and an average conversion rate exceeding 2.5%.

Meeting consumers where they are, HUL has also ventured into social commerce via Instagram, which helps seamlessly connect consumer interactions to purchase journeys. Tools like live streaming and WhatsApp bots drive sales seamlessly and enhance consumers' shopping experiences.

All of these experiences are brought to life with the collaborative efforts across multiple cross functional teams and partners. Our efforts have met industry-wide recognition with the NASSCOM AI Gamechangers Award 2024 for best use of AI in the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) sector and the Financial Express Futech Awards 2022 for best use of Martech.

Awards ceremony at the NASSCOM AI Gamechangers Award 2024 for the best use of AI in the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) sector and at the Financial Express Futech Awards 2022 for the best use of Martech.

Our vision for the future

Elevating our Consumer Experience pillar, we aim to help grow the core via specialised interventions and continue to innovate via our strong enterprise backbone.

Our Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care categories focus on keeping phygital and omnichannel experiences at the heart of digital strategy and bringing salon-like counselling & experiences to the consumer's doorstep.

With BeautyVerse, we plan to enhance our current tech stack and invest in more capabilities for deeper personalisation.

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