Shifting beauty from transactions to empowerment through digital

Shiseido

When COVID shut down stores and face to face consultations, Shiseido had to quickly rethink how it supported customers and employees. The challenge was not just going digital, but deciding what role a global beauty brand should play in people's lives during a moment of real disruption.

We shifted the focus from selling products to building relationships. We designed 'Shiseido Empower', a digital service that connects customers with Beauty Consultants through virtual consultations, turning beauty into a source of confidence, connection, and support rather than just transactions.

Outcomes

• Shifted focus to new and lapsed customers beyond traditional retail audiences
• Designed a virtual consultation service connecting customers with Beauty Consultants
• Repositioned Beauty Consultants as trusted digital advisors rather than in store sellers
• Created a simple accessible entry point via social, email and mobile
• Designed an end to end journey linking advice, curated products and storytelling
• Embedded a social impact model supporting the Shiseido Women's Foundation
• Delivered a scalable pilot balancing brand trust, commercial viability and global rollout