Interview with Nicolas Koller, Global IT Retail Domain Manager chez L’Oréal
More and more omnichannel services are helping to break down the barriers between online and offline retail and pave the way for a smoother shopping experience, whatever the touchpoint.
Consumers require a seamless shopping journey in-store, but also between the web and the store.
So brands need to make sure there’s a continuity of services at every point of contact.
Customers should expect to get the same benefits online as in stores, and vice versa.
The L'Oréal group has clearly understood this and done a good job in recreating the same beauty experience online as in its stores.
It’s added new skin testing tools and technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality - which proved very popular online during the pandemic - along with live-shopping services to bring together the best of both online and physical retail.
In the United States, this has led to a rise from 8% before the pandemic to 20% of retailers now wanting to offer virtual fittings, according to figures from L’Oréal. “In Hong Kong, during Covid lockdowns, we set up services where the customer could call a consultant and buy an item from a store; or we used beauty advisers on various social media platforms like Instagram and wechat to guide consumers towards buying online. Everything should flow smoothly,” says Nicolas Koller.
" In the United States, this has led to a rise from 8% before the pandemic to 20% of retailers now wanting to offer virtual fittings, according to figures from L’Oréal"
Staff also expect the same degree of ease when operating across stores and online, adds Portier: “It’s important not to make things too complicated by adding too many tools.”“Staff need simplicity and a single system to do everything,” says TAO’s Guillaume Porquier. And Damien Flachaire, at Banana Moon, agrees that “staff require a unified solution in order to provide good service, and we don’t want to multiply in-store processes.”
Staff require a unified solution in order to provide good service, and we don’t want to multiply in-store processes.