BW Confidential - Issue #6 - May/June 2011 - (Page 30)

Insight: Skincare Department-store initiatives Making a connection New services and technological tools are boosting skincare in department stores. Are these initiatives enough to attract tomorrow’s consumer? by Alissa Demorest epartment stores are ramping up their efforts to bring skincare consumers to the counter through a mix of merchandising initiatives, services and new technology. To help consumers better navigate the category, some are segmenting their offer by creating special areas devoted to specific types of products. Harrods in the UK, for example, is to open a Techno Beauty area focused exclusively on electrical skincare devices at its flagship store in London. According to Annalise Quest, general merchandise manager beauty at Harrods, these items are currently the store’s highest-growth category in beauty. Brands on offer include Clarisonic and Squoom, and each will have a dedicated sales person in the area. A similar initiative comes from Japanese department store operator Seibu, which opened the Seibu Organic Market last spring at its Tokyo Ikebukuro store. The Organic Market is an area on the ground floor dedi-cated to organic beauty products and features brands such as Aïny and Erborian. Brands get tech-friendly Meanwhile, brands are looking to add extra service and explanation at their counters through the use of new technology. Estée Lauder-owned Clinique, for example, launched several “high-touch” initiatives in US department stores earlier this year that allow consumers to explore product ranges unassisted. The brand’s self-service diagnostic tool uses an iPad to give shoppers a personalized product recommendation following a 90-second “guided skincare analysis” that can then be printed out or emailed. Clinique says the application can produce up to 180,000 product combinations. Another Clinique initiative is the Smart Bar, which launched in February at its counter at Bloomingdale’s flagship 59th street store in 30 D s Clinique’s user-friendly tools, such as the Smart Bar (above) and the iPad application (left) have brought a dose of technology to the skincare counter. The new applications allow shoppers to browse and learn more about the products and their skin type s C M Y CM MY CY New York. The bar is essentially a large touchscreen embedded in the counter where consumers can place a product to access detailed information about it, as well as user reviews and how-to videos. Both counter concepts will be rolled out to international markets on a case-by-case basis, according to the company. While industry watchers applaud such innovative approaches, there is a fear that they perhaps aren’t enough to draw in younger shoppers who have been raised on open-sell and online shopping. “A number of retailers have been trying new things to re-ignite skincare counter activity, but many of these brands’ customers aren’t getting any younger. These new initiatives are trying to extract more dollars from the existing customer, but they haven’t yet been able to bring the younger consumer across the threshold,” notes USbased product development firm Hatch Beauty managing partner Ben Bennett. He continues: “Department stores are going to need to do May-June 2011 - N°6 - BW Confidential CMY K

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #6 - May/June 2011

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
- Brand & retail news recap
- Digital digest
- 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
- Puig ceo Marc Puig
Insight: Skincare
- Category overview
- Department store initiatives
- Perfumeries
- The latest trends
Wellness
- Discounting in spas
- Spa case studies
Retail
- New store concepts
Travel retail
- Market analysis: Asia & Middle East
- Chinese travelers
Radar
- Four up-and-coming beauty brands
Market watch: China
- Analysis: country overview
- Industry roundtable
- Prestige retailing
- E-commerce
Packaging
- Decoration techniques
Last word
- LPK Beauty vp group creative director Liz Grubow

BW Confidential - Issue #6 - May/June 2011