Taking customer experience one step further in cosmetics retail

The Perfumery and Cosmetics retail sector moves more than 6,800 million euros yearly in Spain and employs more than 280,000 people. Numbers that have not stopped growing in recent years according to the National Association of Perfumery and Cosmetics (Stanpa), which announces a 33% increase in turnover of these companies since 2017.

According to Stanpa, this increase in sales in the cosmetic sector has been in all distribution channels, both online and offline. In fact, as the study shows, despite the rising (dwindling) sales via web, prescription and professional assistance has gained a lot of strength, and currently accounts for more than 50% of the market.

Physical store or online shop in cosmetics retail?

As previously seen in the article, although Perfumery and Cosmetics retail sales are on the rise both in online and physical stores, the growth of electronic sales is decreasing. However, the sale through the assistance and advice by professionals in physical stores is increasing.

This is mainly due to the fear of receiving forgeries, and the recurring lack of stock by pure players (web sellers with no physical store).

“The internet pure players are in clear decline and show increasing interest in physical store”

Óscar Mateo, Head of estudios de la patronal del sector Stanpa

The sector is currently trying to recover values ​​such as exclusivity or quality, through specialization and assisted sales in physical stores. According to Grupo Moinsa, this fact has caused that the experts’ advice in point of sale has become a differentiating value in which retailers will invest more and more.

The physical stores then take a more experiential role, in which the employees are at the same time experts in the products, and help the clients advising them in a personalized way, allowing them to try, smell, touch and feel the products.

Ensure a good shopping experience for each customer

In order to guarantee a good shopping experience in each store, you should not forget any of the following points:

1. TRAINING: Turn your employees into expert cosmetic sellers

As seen previously, store employees must be experts in the products they offer to be able to advise customers. If an employee is not able to solve the doubts of a potential customer, the store experience will leave much to be desired.

That is why it is very important that retailers invest in training employees on items, and also in complementary sales techniques or shopping experience personalization. In this way, the store will always have true professionals capable of accompanying the customer and converting each visit into a sale.

2. COMMITMENT AND MOTIVATION: committed and motivated employees = satisfied and loyal customers

Customers’ shopping experience also depends on the treatment received by employees, not only on their knowledge of the products. An employee committed to the company and motivated, will always offer a smile and be willing to help visitors.

That is why it is important that employees feel useful, considered and supported by your company. Creating a positive work environment, having a transparent and fluid communication between teams, and giving workers some flexibility, will greatly help this end.

3. DIMENSIONING: avoid waiting times and dissatisfaction of customers by having fewer employees than needed

Having an insufficient number of employees in store at peak hours, generates queues and long waiting times that have a negative impact on the customer’s shopping experience. In addition, if there are not enough employees when needed, customers seeking advice, product recommendation or clarification of doubts, would be left unattended.

64% of European consumers consider that long queues in stores are the main reason why they prefer to buy online, according to the Cetelem Consumption Observatory 2019. In fact, according to an EPSON report, 29% of European consumers often leave a shop when seeing long lines at the point of sale.

4. PLANNING: have the perfect employee in the perfect place and time to serve the customer

Depend on the customer traffic in order to know how many employees are needed is not enough. It is necessary to plan the schedules and tasks of each employee in such a way you have the perfect employee in the right place and time to attend the visits.

In the store peak traffic hours you should have the fastest and most decisive workers, as this is what customers are looking for when there are many people at the point of sale, with this you will be able to improve the conversion ratio. On the other hand, in hours of less influx you should have more focused workers to offer personalized customer service, the type of client that comes to those hours usually seeks that type of experience, and with good attention you will be able to increase the value of the ticket of each client.

We help you to have the perfect employee in the right place and time to serve customers.

If you have motivated and committed employees with the company; with enough training on products and customer service; if you also have the store correctly sized at every moment of the day, every week and month; and if the planning of schedules and tasks of your employees are generated intelligently taking into account their profiles and their productivity; You can guarantee an unsurpassed shopping experience to each of your customers.

Contact us if you want to know how ORQUEST personnel management solution can help Perfumery and Cosmetics retail companies in each one of the points above.