MAC Cosmetics rethinks sales experience in China with its phygital store!
At the end of February 2019, the MAC Cosmetics brand of the Estée Lauder Group inaugurated a new concept store: the MAC Cosmetics Experience Center. The principle? To offer a new retail experience that meets the expectations of the Millennials with the help of WeChat, one of the most popular multi-purpose applications in China.
The concept
Located in Shanghai, the MAC Cosmetics Experience Center builds on the brand’s huge online success. This, in particular through a network of influencers worldwide. The brand is thus adapting to Generation Z purchasing behaviors in China by offering a hybrid space and an interactive experience.
Created by the Wunderman Shanghaï agency, the Experience Center is a project with an original genesis. The brand surveyed the Generation Z for 6 months before the opening of the store to find out their expectations in terms of in-store experience. Cognitive research and interviews were conducted to determine the biases of this new concept. The resulting space thus includes a set of technologies, touch screens and interactive interfaces creating engagement between customers, digital devices and physical products.
Why visit the store ?
Wechat at the center of the experience
At the entrance, digital kiosks greet customers and invite them to connect to WeChat. They then instantly display a personalized greeting. MAC Cosmetics’ WeChat mini-programs then act as a passport to the entire in-store experience.
Numerous innovations at the service of the customer
On the shelves, many innovations are offered to visitors: a virtual and connected make-up mirror, for example, allows visitors to try out 18 lipstick colours in 30 seconds using augmented reality. In the foundation section, an infrared touch screen allows visitors to find the ideal shade according to the customer’s skin tone.
Products that can be customised as required
The Mac Experience Center allows you to create personalized experiences for three categories of cosmetic products: lipsticks, foundations and eyeshadows. For the latter, customers can choose from six palettes of eye shadows created by influencers and adapt them to their own tastes. Finally, they can pick up their personalized products printed in 3D in a corner of the store.
A space dedicated to events and influencers
On the 2nd floor, a space is dedicated to influencers, workshops and events. For example, master classes can be organised and influencers can hold their own workshops or create content directly on site for their various online platforms.
Easier payment
No more tedious checkout: everything is done via Wechat! After scanning the QR codes of the different products, personalized or not, the customer can pay directly via the WeChat application.
