Retail in Asia

In Trends

innisfree and Tmall team up for new beauty shopping experience

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In partnership with innisfree, Korea’s leading natural cosmetics brand, the “innisfree x Tmall New Retail Store” lets consumers “capture, try, test, purchase and play” in a retail store.

It serves as the brand’s crown jewel to showcase futuristic shopping, with innisfree planning a similar makeover for its entire retail chain in China.

SEE ALSO : Tmall launches try-before-you-buy

Front and center at the first “innisfree x Tmall New Retail Store” in Hangzhou are innovative and interactive features, including:

· Smart skin analyzer: High-precision image capture analyzes the consumer’s facial skin condition and recommends a range of suitable innisfree products.

· Magic mirror: Through Tmall’s augmented-reality technology “magic mirror,” consumers can apply virtual makeup to try out a range of looks, then purchase their chosen products in-store or scan a QR code and order from the Tmall flagship store.

· Cosmetics sample vending machine: Consumers can scan a QR code from the interactive screen and get mask samples from the vending machine at an attractive price.

· Claw Crane: By scanning the QR code on the machine, instore visitors can opt to participate in innisfree’s membership program and get three tries to grab a free sample.

· Smart shelf and cloud shelf: When a customer picks up a product from the shelf, its details will pop up on a touchscreen next to the shelf. Through a cloud shelf, customers can also see and learn about products in the innisfree Tmall store that are not on display.

· AR interactive photo booth: innisfree’s members can take selfies through the AR interactive big screen with its brand ambassadors NINE PERCENT.

“The popularity of Korean cosmetics on Tmall is indisputable, with over 60% year-on-year sales growth over the past year,” said Mike Hu, President of Tmall FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods). “innisfree’s performance has been particularly impressive, as it was the only Korean brand that generated more than RMB1 billion in revenue last year on our platforms.”

“By infusing New Retail technology into a traditional brick-and-mortar store, we build an agile operating model, provide insights for innisfree and an entirely new shopping experience for its customers. Brands that remain fashionable over time are those which best understand consumer behavior, and that is why we think New Retail is so important for businesses in the future,” he added.

Innisfree has already connected all 61 stores in Shanghai and Hangzhou with its Tmall flagship store. The makeover will help stores digitize their operations and upgrade the supply-chain operation and offer shoppers an integrated online and offline experience.

“Tmall is China’s most-innovative and forward-looking retail platform. Tmall’s technology and experience will undoubtedly play a vital role in formulating our New Retail layout in the Chinese market,” said Filipp Cai, General Manager of innisfree China. “We have introduced digital, entertainment and interactive technologies in our physical stores, merged online and offline membership and enhanced consumer insights through upgrading our stores. All these initiatives will help us to bring the very best products and services to our customers and create a more valuable connection between our customers and our brand.”

New Retail is a revolutionary concept introduced by Alibaba. It merges the best of both online and offline experiences and supports merchants who want to accelerate their digital transformation. New Retail envisages retailers of the future using consumer insights generated on different platforms to develop informative and entertaining content for omnichannel delivery.

SEE ALSO : Alibaba to sell more Korean stuff

In future, innisfree will further explore and collaborate with Tmall on a number of New Retail-related initiatives, including online reservations for in-store treatments, highly customized services for offline shopping experience and flexible online order pickups.