BW Confidential - Issue #14 - May/June 2013 - (Page 40)

Insight: Skincare Retail case studies Skin savvy A spotlight on retail concepts that put a focus on skincare by Alissa Demorest Sephora IQ & Sampling Bar LVMH-owned retailer Sephora is looking to be more active in supporting skincare and has come out with two new concepts for the category. The first is an in-store diagnostic tool called Sephora Skincare IQ, which launched in the retailer’s North American stores in September 2012 and is now in 76 doors across the US, and is currently rolling out to locations in Europe. The tool is a touchscreen display that asks the shopper a series of questions and cross references the retailer’s 1,200 skincare skus across 60 brands. Consumers are asked to enter their two major skincare concerns out of a possible 10 and the tool produces a list of recommended products. (These skincare concerns include pores, fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots and uneven tone, dryness, oiliness, redness, acne or blemishes.) The shopper can then sort through the recommendations by price, ratings, relevance, brand name or best-sellers. Skincare IQ also features a glossary of ingredients for consumers who wish to take a closer look at a product’s formula. Sephora claims that the tool can produce recommendations in a minute or less. Sephora’s second initiative in the skincare segment is a sampling bar, which the retailer launched in partnership with French brand Clarins at its Copenhagen flagship. The bar, which began in a test phase at the end of last year and is now a permanent fixture at the store, features a dedicated beauty advisor that gives the shopper a short skincare consultation, after which she receives product samples that correspond to her skin type. “This kind of service means that we are providing the client with samples that are truly adapted to her needs, and not just haphazardly giving them out,” a Sephora executive tells BW Confidential. The retailer hopes that this kind of service will attract more shoppers to the store’s skincare area and boost loyalty in the segment. Clarisonic at Lane Crawford L’Oréal-owned skincare device brand Clarisonic opened its first-ever department-store counter at Hong Kong retailer Lane Crawford at the end of last year. The counter is a free-standing unit on the department store’s beauty floor. It is divided into two areas, one of which is an ‘exploration bar’ where all of the brand’s devices (including replacement heads) are on display. A T-shaped unit behind the bar features an iPad that shoppers can use to view videos that explain how to use each of the devices and show how the tool can fit into the consumer’s skincare routine. This part of the counter also features a seated area and a sink where the BA can provide demonstrations on the client’s hand. The ability to test the product in-store is key to drawing in new consumers, according to the brand. “We are keen on the immediate effects of Clarisonic, as the consumer can see and feel the difference after using the device,” explains Clarisonic vice president and general manager of international business development Laurent Kreutz. Given that Clarisonic has said it aims to position the brand as a full-fledged beauty line, rather than just a device, its range of topical products could also be an integral part of the counter concept in the future. 40 May-June 2013 - N°14 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #14 - May/June 2013

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
- Brand & retail news recap
- Companies on the move
Take note Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW Highlights from our e-publication
Launches The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview Clarins Group ceo Philip Shearer
Insight: Skincare
- Category overview
- Skincare devices
- Retail case studies
- The latest trends
Retail
- Amazon
- Store concepts
Digital Facebook
Market watch: China
- Country overview
- Industry viewpoint
- National domestic airports
- Department stores
- Third- & fourth-tier cities
Travel retail
- Emerging Asia analysis
- Passenger profiles
- Interview: King Power Group Duty Free & Travel Retail Hong Kong managing director Sunil Tuli
Radar Up-and-coming brands
Emerging markets Company profile: VLCC
Packaging
- Industry outlook
- Differentiation techniques
Last word Brand Keys founder and president Robert Passikoff

BW Confidential - Issue #14 - May/June 2013