Complementary omnichannel activations bring us closer to consumers

Interconnected customer journeys: online and in stores

L’Oréal is reinventing beauty experiences thanks to online activations via social networks and e-commerce platforms, as well as in brick-and-mortar stores via “diagnosis” solutions and personalised advice. The two types of experience complement and enhance one another. This complementarity creates more touch points with consumers and allows us to be present at every step in the customer journey to support and advise people individually.

Kiehl’s is a perfect example of this type of omnichannel experience. In 2021, the brand, which has a significant social media presence, posted a chance for consumers to win a product to be picked up in a store. Once they entered the store, participants also enjoyed personalised advice from beauty advisors, who offered to perform a digital skin “diagnosis”. The results were delivered by email, along with a personalised routine. If consumers then purchased products online, they could choose quick delivery or join the loyalty programme, which provides access to more personalised features, such as over-the-phone advice and in-store appointments for custom services. Complementary online and offline activations like this offer infinite possibilities, which L’Oréal brands adapt to suit their audiences.

Through a combination of new experiences, advice, customer benefits, loyalty programmes and more, L’Oréal sees technology as a means to better understand and cater to consumer expectations.   

Technological innovations “augment” point-of-sale experiences

Digital technologies play an important role in the online customer journey, but they are also increasingly present at the very heart of brick-and-mortar stores. Cutting-edge technologies provide exceptional services for consumers. One such example is Skin Screen by Lancôme, an exclusive skin analysis and “diagnosis” service inspired by clinical studies and the equipment used by dermatologists. Skin Screen combines tri-polar light technology with AI-powered algorithms to measure key skin parameters. It evaluates skin issues based on a library of 6,000 skin “diagnosis” images, which condense 20 years of L’Oréal expertise in the clinical signs of skin conditions. Next, the beauty advisor takes over, using this extremely precise analysis to suggest a fully customised skincare routine in just 20 minutes. This is a perfect example of complementary expertise: it combines L’Oréal’s scientific capabilities with the beauty advisor’s know-how, backed by technological, digital and sensory-based innovation.