The US-based cosmetics giant is installing the tablet technology at its counters in stores across the country to recommend products based on customer feedback.
Clinique is EL’s largest beauty brand in the United States in both mass and prestige, and will be the first to roll out the new plan as part of the company’s strategy to reinvigorate EL’s beauty business in US department stores.
Department store target
“With US department stores accounting for 2/3 of North American sales, our business in that channel is clearly of vital importance,” said Thia Breen, global president, Estee Lauder.
The Clinique brand will roll out its ‘Service As You Like It’ format in larger stores having installed more than 1,000 iPads at its counter that can recommend 180,000 possible product combinations based on skin concerns.
By the end of the fiscal year, Clinique expects to have 1,500 iPads at about 1,250 doors in North America, according to Breen.
“Sales at the stores with iPads are running 3 percent higher than trend which is a terrific result,” Breen added.
Getting others involved
The plan will also branch out to include several other brands from the EL portfolio, having also achieved good results with the Bobbi Brown brand.
“The Bobbi Brown brand highlights Bobbi's picks, her favorite cosmetics and collections to help consumer choice. Each of our brands is rethinking its in-store experience to appeal to today's consumer, and several exciting pioneering concepts will debut later this year,” said Breen.
“Our strategy has not only brought new consumers to our brand but also into department stores to shop for beauty for the first time. As part of a mix, we've attracted both a younger and more diverse consumer.”
In its recent second quarter results, Estee Lauder's Americas division posted 9 percent sales growth on a currency neutral basis, with sales up 9 percent in US department stores.