Shiseido Announces New Web Marketing, Cosmetics Business Model Initiatives

Beginning in April 2012, Shiseido announced it plans to reinforce its web marketing strategy aimed at the expansion of contact with new customers and the vitalization of Shiseido contract stores through new online initiatives. Also, a new business model will be developed for the domestic cosmetics business, utilizing the company’s experience in the store sales cosmetics business.

For the new business model, Shiseido will maximize contact points with new customers by linked value-added oriented web marketing while taking full advantage of its strength of possessing an actual store network. The company’s value-added oriented web marketing seeks to generate demand not only through cosmetics sales but also through proposing new beauty care experiences, as well as enhancing efforts to secure customers by sharing customer data with actual stores.

Specifically, seeking to attract more new customers, Shiseido will set up a new website under the theme of beauty and health in which a virtual shopping mall that includes multiple businesses besides cosmetics will be opened, and pay and free web content will be developed. In parallel, the functions of Shiseido’s official website will be rebuilt and enhanced to draw the interest of customers who are enticed by the new website. Through these series of measures, Shiseido will promote a fundamental rebuilding of its domestic cosmetics business.

Shiseido has been carrying out further research on maximizing the effectiveness of store sales and mail-order sales. In the launch of its virtual shopping mall website, named Beauty Platform, the site aims to let customers experience services provided by Shiseido on the Internet. Plans call for setting up functions to introduce the most appropriate brand information and provide guidance on how to use products as well as beauty solutions to customers via the telephone, web chats and video phone consultations.

Sharing customer data with some contract stores, Shiseido will also undertake efforts to reinforce customer relation management (CRM) and secure customers. CRM enables stores to provide advice and send service information via mail to customers at the appropriate timing.

Additionally, from 2011, Shiseido sales companies will comprehensively undertake efforts to provide support for contract stores in order to improve the appeal of sales points and service quality for customers, aimed at creating stores chosen by customers. In addition, further assistance for the maintenance of IT environments and store advancement will be provided by establishing a specialized organization for future generation management administration support in the sales department, specialty stores at Shiseido headquarters.

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