'Critical market': Sephora ION Orchard revamp blends personalisation, technology for more immersive experiences

LVMH’s prestige beauty retailer officially reopened the doors to its Singapore flagship store at ION Orchard on September 6.

Sephora ION Orchard showcases the largest prestige beauty assortment within Asia with over 160 brands and more than 12,000 products.

The store also introduced 18 new brands including Armani Prive, Kylie Cosmetics, Kosas, Makeup By Mario, Shark Beauty, Takami, and Patrick Ta.

The reopening of Sephora ION Orchards has been hotly anticipated by beauty consumers and brands alike.

“Sephora ION Orchard is our flagship store in Singapore, which is a critical market entry point for many brands into SEA. It is also one of our most successful stores globally. In 2023, it was the top-performing store in Singapore and SEA,” said Jenny Cheah, managing director for South East Asia, Oceania & India.

“It now boasts the largest beauty assortment in Asia and within Sephora with over 160 brands, and this investment to upgrade the store is a testament to our relentless dedication towards delivering diverse and personalised beauty experiences.”

For the first time in Singapore, Sephora is launching the "Hot on Social" campaign at its ION Orchard store. This ongoing campaign will showcase a curated selection of the most talked-about products, updated regularly to keep up with the latest social media trends.

“Social media plays an increasingly significant role in how consumers discover and choose beauty products. That is why we have introduced the Hot on Social campaign at Sephora ION Orchard – a curated and constantly updated showcase of the most popular products trending online. This initiative exemplifies our goal of creating a shopping experience that is not only fun and engaging but equally immersive and informative,” said Cheah.

The reopening of Sephora ION Orchard follows the reopening of its store at a brand-new location in VivoCity, Singapore.

Seamless shopping

Cheah told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that the store caters to consumers’ demand for greater personalisation, convenience, and immersive beauty shopping experiences.

“The future of beauty retail is all about friction-free shopping - meeting customers wherever they are – whether in-store, online, or through mobile platforms – and leveraging our strong POV on beauty, expertise of our beauty advisors and innovative tech to hyper-personalise the retail experience,” said Cheah.

The revamped store borrows elements from its Asia Store of the Future​, which launched in 2022 at Raffles City Singapore, such as mobile cashless payment options. It also has multiple cashiering points for a quicker, more seamless checkout experience.

The store also introduced Skincare Studios, which provide a more private and comfortable space where customers can come in for skin care consultations from our beauty advisors.

Sephora has also leveraged its partnerships with leading brands for exclusive services such as Estée Lauder - Dream Skin Reawakened and Kiehl’s Skin Professional.

Additionally, technology plays a pivotal role in the store to complement the human touch.

“Technology already plays a crucial role in enhancing the shopping experience across Sephora’s stores globally, including providing greater personalisation and information to empower customers to make confident, informed beauty choices. While technology elevates the experience, our beauty advisors remain essential, providing face-to-face consultations for a balanced, tailored experience for every customer,” said Cheah.

Shoppers can also expect the launch of an innovative foundation matching tool, said Cheah.

“We are also piloting an AI-powered foundation matching tool in the fourth quarter this year, which provides precise skin tone scans to help customers find their perfect shade across our diverse range of brands.”

Cheah added that the firm will continue to focus on innovation and personalisation to provide an even more seamless shopping experience with such tech enhancements.

“We will also grow our Click & Collect services, further integrating online and in-store experiences. Across the region, our customers can look forward to new exclusive brand launches and more immersive and experiential beauty discovery as we continue to stay at the forefront of beauty retail, delivering next-level customer experiences.”