I met with a friend recently who wore the most beautiful perfume, so much so I had to ask her what it was. It was Dior, she told me, and I made a mental note to try that one out for myself. She went on to tell me over coffee she had bought it in store and as the conversation went on, how much she feared a third lockdown. I admit, it was an extreme jump in topics, but it was triggered by the fact she mentioned she routinely buys her partner a fragrance for Christmas and if we’re lockdown she’ll have to second guess what to buy him online because she won’t be able to go into a store and pick it out based on its scent.
Interesting concept, I thought. It also made me ponder the stark difference some retail sectors are still experiencing between in-store and online CX offerings. Clearly there’s no way the friend can sample scents through her laptop screen, unless there’s some kind of magic new technology I’m not yet aware of. But she was right, it does leave her with a conundrum.
This was my general thinking pattern until I read that high street health and beauty retailer Superdrug has launched a brand new ‘store insider’ service. The aim, we told in our article on the news this week, is to give customers the exact same level of service online as they get in-store. How does this work, I wondered, when it came to perfumes and men’s fragrances? Customers can connect online users to Superdrug store colleagues for support and recommendations when buying products.
Matt Walburn, Superdrug’s eCommerce Director, told us: “The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of our Superdrug.com business and we are passionate to provide a market leading online experience for all our customers.
“Traditionally a bricks and mortar business, Superdrug has long had a reputation for expert health and beauty advice in store. So now, in a time when customers are shopping online for safety and convenience, we want to ensure we can offer that same personal shopping approach, just from the comfort of a customer’s own living room. A big part of our ecommerce strategy is about humanising the online shopping experience.”
The company is trialling the service in four UK stores, with the aim of rolling it out nationally should it be successful.
Customers can access ‘Superdrug Store Insider’ by visiting Superdrug.com and clicking on the service icon in the corner of the screen to be connected to store.
The service is another example of a problem solved by the use of innovative technologies, and a cultural shift we’re experiencing as the COVID-19 battle rages on. We don’t yet know whether we’ll be unlucky enough to experience a third lockdown this winter. But one thing’s for sure. With solutions like these, at least our Christmases won’t be disrupted too.
