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Retail
HEALTHCARE
Beauty, 2021 in the name of change By Matteo Melani Personalised, smart, sustainable. In recent years, the personal care sector has changed the parameters of the traditional shopping experience to reflect the needs of its customers. THE DIGITAL GUARANTEE
This transition has already been underway for some time but accelerated during the outbreak of the pandemic starting with the phygital, the interdependence between physical and digital spaces. In the case of Douglas, a chain of perfumeries, digital has made up for not being in shops. In fact, e-commerce has driven total sales and, together with online channels, have reached a record value of 882 million euros (+40.6%). “In the key Christmas quarter, we were once again able to enjoy strong growth of our online business with Singles Day, Black Friday and our Christmas campaign, achieving a record quarter for our e-commerce business,” commented Tina Müller, CEO of the Douglas group, “Our rapid transformation since 2018 is unprecedented among long-standing retail companies and demonstrates the strength of combining traditional and online retail.” In addition to greater flexibility in online shopping, today’s consumers demand quality services and sustainable products. Here are some of the main innovations in this area.
Online is not just about selling but also about involving the user. The Kiko cosmetics chain is aware of this and in mid-2020 it developed Try it on. This function on its site allows users to digitally try on products such as make-up or lip gloss directly on their face to see the results by uploading a photo or turning on the camera. In addition to online, the service is also accessible in the brand’s points of sale. A similar concept is Lip Lab, a digital tool developed by BITE (a LVMH beauty incubator), which allows customers to create personalized lipsticks from the comfort of their home. The initiative allows you to interact with the brand through your personal taste and needs. BITE is a marketing tool of unquestionable
value because it also provides the company information on its customers’ preferences. As with Try it on, BITE allows you to create your own lipstick in stores as well, but so far only in the United States and in Canada.
INNOVATION IN PHYSICAL STORES
As shown by Kiko’s and BITE’s initiatives, the store is not just a place for selling
