Taking care of your skin isn’t just simply another part of your daily routine—it’s a commitment to your well-being and an investment in yourself. And when you finally find a brand that helps you achieve your skincare goals and see results, it can feel like striking gold.
Whether it’s discovering new products, enjoying exclusive offers, or even sharing a discount with a friend, the best skincare brands create personalized experiences for their customers both online and offline. From beauty enthusiasts exploring skincare essentials to customers seeking solutions tailored to their unique needs, Curology is harnessing the power of Bitly QR Codes to forge stronger connections with millions of customers and patients across the country.
We chatted with Becca Rudman, Brand Marketing Manager at Curology, to learn about how this innovative skincare brand leverages Bitly QR Codes to (re)imagine the possibilities and make exploring its wide array of skincare offerings simple and easy for customers.
Curology offers up personalized skincare designed to help you get results. Explore their products and follow Curology on Instagram and Facebook.
Making personalized skincare more accessible
Curology was founded in 2014 with the mission of making effective skincare more accessible. Since then, Curology’s team has grown, with in-house licensed dermatology providers who have provided personalized prescription skincare support to more than 5 million patients. Starting in 2023, Curology’s non-prescription skincare essentials became available at Target.
Because skincare can be a deeply personal journey, Curology recognized the importance of fostering customer relationships and ensuring seamless experiences early on.
“We have a strong connection with our patients when they’re on our site and interacting with us online but once the experience is transferred to the physical world, we didn’t have a way to engage with them.”
In this hyper-digital age, offline touchpoints are often overlooked and can be missed opportunities for driving engagement. Becca and her team knew, however, that what happens after a customer buys a product is just as important as the sale itself. They needed a way to make connections with customers long after purchase, both to improve the customer experience and to encourage loyalty.
Creating a seamless customer experience with Bitly QR Codes
By leveraging Bitly QR Codes across the entire customer journey, Curology is able to ensure that customers can integrate their skincare products into their daily lives with ease, leading to greater satisfaction and repeat purchases.
Whether it’s modifying a subscription or directly messaging with their licensed dermatology provider, Curology’s wide use of QR Codes sparks a world of possibilities for its patients. By adding QR Codes to product packaging, inserts, advertising campaigns, and more, Curlogy makes it possible for consumers to shape their skincare journey with the simple scan of a code.
“We believe that skincare should be personal and QR Codes allow us to extend that philosophy into the physical realm. They’re basically our Call to Action button in real life. There’s no better way to connect with our patients when they’re not online.”
Knowing that QR Codes serve as a direct line of communication between Curology and its customers and patients, Becca and her team integrated Bitly QR Codes just about everywhere you could imagine to offer up helpful solutions to their customer’s problems, offer exclusive discounts, and encourage repeat orders.
Driving retail-to-online conversions
Curology conveniently offers up a Starter Set for customers who are either just beginning their skincare journey or looking to explore the benefits of Curology’s most-loved trio of skincare essentials. With the goal of driving online conversions from retail sales, Curology is using Bitly QR Codes printed on booklets that are inserted into the skincare kits to offer something special.
“Promoting our free 30-day prescription skincare offer through QR Codes is actually our number one driver of retail to direct consumer conversions.”
Based on this data, Becca and her team decided to double down on the Starter Set strategy by printing QR Codes directly onto individual product unit cartons. When customers open up the package, they see a QR Code promoting the free trial right at the top so they can easily scan and redeem it.
For products that don’t come in a unit carton, like Curology’s Gentle Cleanser, they’re testing out using hang tags with QR Codes printed on them to point customers to their personalized skincare offer. To enhance their product pages on-site and boost more conversions online, they’re using QR Codes to entice shoppers with their special offer.
“Adding QR Codes to all of these touchpoints has helped us reach our goals over the past few quarters. QR Codes give us the opportunity to tell our story, invite customers to explore more products, and become part of our growing community.”
Providing continuous customer engagement with Bitly QR Codes
Successful brands ensure that the post-purchase experience is delightful, memorable, and positive to reinforce the customer’s decision and encourage repeat purchases. Curology has mastered the craft of continuous engagement by providing personalized experiences through Bitly QR Codes that introduce customers and patients to more of what the skincare brand has to offer.
Curology also goes beyond special offers to add value to the customer’s post-purchase experience. With the goal of promoting its Emergency Spot Patch product (who hasn’t experienced an unfortunate surprise spot?!), Curology offered a free patch to patients through a QR Code insert in their shipments. Patients could easily scan the code and add the patch to their next box at no cost, giving them the opportunity to try out the product for themselves.
Curology makes it easy to add new products—like their vegan Lip Balm—to existing subscriptions by adding inserts into packages with QR Codes that grant patients instant access to the product. Removing purchase-point friction with QR Codes can help boost sales and enhance customer satisfaction, making it a win-win for all.
And speaking of customer satisfaction, Curology gives patients access to the information they need when they need it. By adding Bitly QR Codes to its universal package inserts, patients can get answers to all their skincare questions and more with a simple scan.
“We added QR Codes to the back of our universal inserts that now go out in every new box we ship. Customers can scan the QR Code to adjust their subscription, add or remove products, or even direct message with a dermatology provider.”
Nurturing customer relationships and encouraging loyalty
Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and become brand advocates, but it takes a concerted effort to forge these types of relationships with consumers. Curology understands this principle at its core and uses QR Codes to create delightful surprises for its community of skincare lovers.
Curology’s reward program gives customers the opportunity to give $20 for non-prescription essentials to a friend by inviting them to explore their products, and in turn, receive $20 for non-prescription items themselves. They’ve added inserts to 200,000 boxes with QR Codes that give subscribers access to their unique shareable link so they can spread the word to friends and reap the benefits.
Whether it’s a free product, an exclusive discount, or a referral for a friend, QR Codes make each unboxing experience that much more memorable and action-oriented.
“The more touchpoints you can have with a customer, the better you’ll do at retaining them and building brand loyalty. It’s really all about making sure they feel valued as a consumer.”
From boosting retail-to-online conversions to empowering customers with personalization, every QR Code represents an opportunity to engage, delight, and retain customers. Becca said it best—each QR Code is an offline Call to Action for the consumer—and what better way to capture their attention and spark action than by putting the power right in their hands.
“The customer journey doesn’t stop at purchase. Bitly QR Codes enable us to continue the conversation, inspire loyalty, and craft experiences that resonate both online and offline.”
Transforming customer connections with the power of Bitly QR Codes
Curology’s innovative use of Bitly QR Codes serves as a powerful example of what’s possible when engaging with customers offline. By turning every customer touchpoint into an opportunity for further connection, Curology makes the skincare purchasing experience more personalized and meaningful, fostering trust and giving customers a clear sense of the brand’s commitment to their individual needs and preferences. With Bitly QR Codes, the possibitlyties are endless.
Here at Bitly, our mission is to be a catalyst for connections. With the Bitly Connections Platform, customers can customize and shorten links, create QR Codes, curate their Bitly Link-in-bio, and track performance—all in one place.
Feeling inspired? Get started today or find out how other industries are using the Bitly Connections Platform to imagine the possi(bitly)ties.