SK-II launches flagship store on Lazada, offering personalised services to South East Asian consumers

Through a personalised service offering on its online portal, SK-II is attempting to bridge this gap between the offline and online shopping experience. Credit: Sorbis via Shutterstock.

SK-II, a leading Japanese skincare brand owned by Procter & Gamble, unveiled its flagship online store for South-East Asia on Lazada, one of the top e-commerce platforms in the region.

The online store offers customers the comfort and safety of shopping from their homes, along with virtual skincare consultation, and other digital content.

SK-II’s shift to online follows a surge in the brand’s e-commerce sales during 2020 with the onset of the novel coronavirus outbreak. As authorities enforced lockdowns, social distancing and other anti-pandemic restrictions, footfall in physical stores waned, thereby compelling the company to look at online distribution channels to revive sales.

Moreover, the growing trend among consumers to spend more time online during the pandemic incentivised the company to focus on augmenting its online presence and engaging digitally with consumers who were cocooning at home.

However, when it comes to purchasing beauty products, consumers yearn for the visual and tactile feel of products and the human connection that brick-and-mortar stores offer, and online shopping cannot replicate. Through a personalised service offering on its online portal, SK-II is attempting to bridge this gap between the offline and online shopping experience.

Besides providing a platform for online shopping, SK-II offers personalised beauty solutions through its LazMall flagship store to engage consumers who are increasingly online in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumers can access “e-Beauty Consultant”, a chat function on the app, to discuss their doubts on skincare and receive personalized beauty counselling online from SK-II’s beauty consultants. The app also features SK-II Magic Scan, a skin analysis tool leveraging artificial intelligence, which allows consumers to use their smartphone to scan their skin around their eyes, mouths and cheeks to receive an analysis about their skin condition and customised product recommendations. Additionally, the e-store features product reviews by key opinion leaders, online influencers and other brand content.

This chat function and skin analysis app are part of the company’s efforts to provide consumers with a personalised shopping experience, particularly amid the social distancing measures. This resonates with the findings of GlobalData’s 2020 Market Pulse survey, wherein 69% of Japanese respondents felt that when purchasing products for the household (excluding food or drinks), personalised features that meet their needs and personality are as or more important to them or their top priority now as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic*.

SK-II emphasises that its online retail push is intended to complement rather than substitute its presence in traditional or modern retail stores and travel retail. The company’s actions are in sync with a broader strategy among its retail partners to expand into omnichannel by building its online presence and extending online delivery services to its customers. The ultimate objective of beauty brands such as SK-II and retailers is to make their business more customer-centric by delivering custom-tailored solutions that their customers desire, rather than just selling products they have in their portfolio.

^ GlobalData 2020 Market Pulse Consumer Survey – Japan published on 1 September 2020.

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