Sephora unveils 'Store of the Future' in Shanghai to enhance user experience with personalised services

Global beauty retailer Sephora has launched its second "Store of the Future" globally in Shanghai following the opening of a similar concept in Singapore late last year, to elevate customer experience with new hyper-personalised services.

Situated along the East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, the new store features an array of curated offerings, innovative digital touchpoints, and elevated beauty services, aiming to unlock the consumer journey for a unique retail experience. Skin analysis device powered by big data analytics for a hyper-personalised consultation and AI-generated makeup trends for inspiration and tutorials on the latest beauty looks with product recommendations are available in the store.

Moreover, panels and price tags equipped with RFID sensors are attached with the products to educate consumers on various product ingredients and provide access to customer reviews. Customers can also use mobile POS to check out with Sephora's beauty advisors to skip lines. They can also enjoy personalised gift packaging including individualised voice messages, scents and gift boxes.

In addition, Sephora's beauty advisors will provide 15-minute skincare consultations for every customer, 60-minute makeup services and a 15-minute beauty play service to bring virtual artist looks to life.For the first time in China, Sephora will also have a purpose-built beauty live studio to gather Sephora's beauty community for exclusive events or masterclasses .

In tandem with this launch, Sephora is introducing over 220 new products from over 36 global beauty brands to keep consumers apprised of the latest beauty trends such as TATCHA, Hourglass and Anastasia.  C-beauty brands such as CHA LING, MAOGEPING LIGHT and WEI will be featured new assortments that are developed as part of the Sephora C-beauty Programme.

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"The store of the future in Shanghai showcases our obsession for experiential retail, where consumers get to enjoy a curated and on-trend beauty offer, tailored and personalised services and classes, as well as digital touchpoints used to unlock consumer journeys within the store. Specifically customised to the unique preferences of Chinese consumers, we believe this store will set a new benchmark in prestige beauty retail in China," said Alia Gogi, president of Sephora Asia.

Sephora will continue to introduce new and differentiated products to the market while showcasing new trends, said Maggie Chan, managing director of Sephora Greater China. "Apart from incorporating beauty tech, Sephora's store of the future in Shanghai is part of our ongoing commitment to deepen our engagement with the beauty community in China. We are excited to continue learning from our customers and partners to deliver a retail experience that best suit their needs and desires," she added.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Sephora for more information.

Back in September last year, Sephora launched Asia’s first ‘store of the future’ in Singapore Raffles City. The 426-square-metre store enables customers to scan and analyse skin conditions and get skincare recommendations using an app. It is also be equipped with a fully mobile checkout process.

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