With today’s technology, shoppers can splurge from their mobile phones and other devices just as if they are in-store…well, almost! According to Linda Viglione, account manager, Kline Consumer Products, technology continues to impact how and where millennials purchase products. They value experience over material goods, but expect them to go hand in hand. They want low prices, high value, and all of it quickly. If their friends love something, then they do too. Their opinion counts the most, and trust and transparency is key. They expect brands to be honest. If you are loyal to them, they’ll be loyal to you!
 
X-Rite Pantone is helping to advance mobile/retail shopping applications with Color-Eye, touted as a groundbreaking solution that allows retailers to incorporate accurate color matching and searching into their shopping applications. For example, you can paint your walls in the same shade as your favorite OPI red or Essie pink nail lacquer; or finally locate that Urban Decay eyeshadow that mirrors the deep blue of the ocean waves.
 
With Color-Eye, cosmetics, home and fashion and retail paint companies can help customers accurately match a paint color to a favorite pillow, accent piece or nail polish, simply by capturing the color on a mobile device.
 
Founded in 1958, X-Rite Incorporated is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. Along with its wholly-owned subsidiary Pantone—known for its famous fashion week report of the hottest hues of the year, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, MI, with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.
 
“Color is a deciding factor in a customer’s purchasing decision and can be a leading cause for customer returns,” said Chris Winczewski, vice president, strategy and product planning, X-Rite. “Color-Eye is the only solution on the market that incorporates both a color calibration card and software to ensure accurate color results in a mobile application. With Color-Eye, retailers will be able to help customers accurately match a paint color to a favorite pillow or accent piece, simply by capturing the color on a mobile device. This has the potential to reshape how consumers search, match and purchase goods such as apparel, home décor or cosmetics on mobile devices.”
 
Color-Eye combines a printed calibration card with unique color software that retailers can integrate into existing mobile apps. Using the calibration card consumers can take color readings of items they want to match. The readings are incorporated into the retailer’s shopping application to deliver to the consumer a set of matching or coordinating products.
 
X-Rite research shows that consumers lack confidence when purchasing color-critical items online. Consumers expect to be able to simply take a photo from their phone of the inspiration color and match it to a desired item online.  As consumers and retailers know, this isn’t easy—due to camera limitations and lack of color calibration.  
 
Color-Eye utilizes X-Rite’s expertise to calibrate color values across all lighting conditions. The application, in use with the smartphone, incorporates dual-illumination technology by taking two images with the flash on and off resulting in improved color accuracy. The calibration card is manufactured with a unique process that creates both glossy bubbles and patches to help account for lighting glare. Together the calibration card and the X-Rite software help prevent bad color matches due to poor lighting; and guides users as they position the phone to avoid glare. The result is a more reliable color reading that can communicate with a brand or retailer’s ecommerce application and product database to deliver consumers matching or harmonizing products, according to X-Rite.
 
“Color-Eye builds on the success of the X-Rite CAPSUREme Cosmetic offering that uses custom printed cards and a smartphone to match skin tones with foundation colors,” continued Winczewski. “With Color-Eye, we have taken this technology a step further to account for lighting, texture and gloss in order to reliably match any item a consumer may have at home to find coordinating colors. Color-Eye gives retailers and paint manufacturers the opportunity to build consumer trust by enabling greater confidence in color-critical purchases, both online and in-store. This increases consumer loyalty, reduces returns, and drives purchases of paint and beyond.”
 
Color-Eye currently supports iPhone SE, 6S, 6S+, 7, 7+; Android Nexus 5; and Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S7, S7 Edge, S7 Active. Additional devices will be supported in the future, said the company.
 
More info: http://www.xrite.com/categories/mobile-apps/coloreye.