Future of Beauty Retail

Following the kiosk's success, SK-II embarked on a comprehensive roadmapping effort to build on its momentum. The team focused on identifying features that could enhance modularity and technological progression while maintaining a compelling shopper experience. Over several days, they mapped key stores in Tokyo and China, aligning experience features with each location's customer base, store size, and technological infrastructure. This strategic planning also balanced brand messaging with functional shopping tools.

The resulting roadmap detailed modular shopper journeys, enabling a comparative understanding of each store's potential for specific features. This approach allowed the SK-II team to clearly define the scope of work and create tailored solutions that fit the unique demands of each retail location while advancing their digital retail vision.

SK-II's Travel Retail division spearheaded innovation with a smart store at Changi Airport Terminal 2, catering to international travelers through Shilla Duty Free shops. Addressing a pain point identified through research—Chinese and Japanese shoppers relying on photos for product identification—SK-II developed a self-service fixture with image recognition technology. The prototype was meticulously tested using cardboard housings for a Samsung tablet, ultimately proving that no enclosure was necessary for accurate scanning.

The final design allowed shoppers to scan an image and instantly locate products via a larger fixture called the "Gondola". The design process not only identified ways to streamline the shopping experience but also offered ergonomic insights during testing, ensuring the fixture's height and placement optimized usability. The Gondola's innovative design redefined the airport retail experience, blending advanced technology with functional simplicity.

The SK-II Gondola became the centerpiece of Changi Airport's beauty retail section, strategically placed along a high-traffic walking path. This fixture encouraged customer interaction by integrating a tester area that triggered dynamic content on a wide screen, ranging from product details to social content and tutorials. The screen also featured distinct interaction sequences, including an attract mode when dormant and functionality to assist customers in finding products on the shelves below.

Dynamic pricing displays and LED indicators enhanced the fixture's practicality, while beauty consultants appreciated its potential as a sales tool, enabling them to guide and educate customers. The Gondola also included an image scanner on both ends, making it one of the most advanced retail fixtures in Changi Airport, blending cutting-edge technology with seamless shopping experiences.

As SK-II expanded its digital retail footprint across Singapore, Japan, and China, managing fixtures at both regional and store levels became essential. A custom admin application was developed, enabling beauty counselors to select fixtures, create planograms, and manage product placements with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. The app also allowed real-time testing of features such as lighting and power schedules, streamlining daily operations.

The admin app’s capabilities grew to include six fixtures as more stores adopted SK-II's innovative experiences. By empowering staff with robust management tools, the app ensured consistency and adaptability across a growing portfolio of technologically advanced retail environments.

SK-II’s progressive innovations led to a collaboration with Sephora Shanghai to create an interactive experience in their flagship store on Nanjing Road. Leveraging insights into shopper needs, the team designed a fixture that integrated motion tracking, pressure sensing, and touchscreens to engage customers at multiple distances. The experience unfolded dynamically, with animations attracting attention, product testing prompts engaging nearby shoppers, and tutorials featuring social reviews to guide purchasing decisions.

This ambitious project was driven by on-site research, bodystorming sessions, and detailed prototyping, which enabled the design team to move efficiently from concept to final design. Despite the technical complexity, the iterative process resulted in an engaging and visually stunning fixture tailored to Sephora’s discerning clientele.