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TORONTO — Continuing to enhance its upscale beauty care offering, Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) has unveiled its beautyBOUTIQUE at the Toronto Eaton Centre.
The second of its kind at SDM, the 4,000-square-foot department features 21 prestige brands, new fixtures, digital signage, enhanced fragrance and derm areas, and a luxurious retail environment.
“Our goal was to design a unique and inspiring experience leveraging our customer insights in beauty while also integrating emerging customer trends,” said president and chief executive officer Domenic Pilla. “Shoppers Drug Mart has always pushed the envelope when it comes to the beauty category and, as a result, we have become the market leader in mass and prestige cosmetics, fragrances and skin care products and the beauty destination of choice for Canadian women.”
The design was inspired by a gift box and the idea of unraveling a ribbon to reveal the present. The ribbon concept can be seen in design elements including the digital signage wrapped around the boutique and the finishing elements extending over the fixtures to the ceiling. The design allows customers to feel comfortable browsing in an environment that is modern, sleek and interactive while also catering to their need to complete their shopping quickly.
“It was the right time to evolve and enhance our concept to modernize the fixtures, adapt to changing shopping behaviors, incorporate new communication vehicles like digital signage and grow our brand assortment to include new prestige vendors,” said category management vice president Cathy Masson. “We introduced this new concept while holding true to our principles of knowledgeable and unbiased service in an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience.”
The rebranding and enhancement of the chain’s boutiques recasts their look and feel in and out of stores, senior vice president of marketing Sandra Sanderson said this year. The boutiques’ brand identity now revolves around rewarding beauty inspiration, she said. That theme is captured in signs saying “Imagine, indulge, inspire.”
Besides getting high-end products, customers obtain Shoppers Optimum program rewards from shopping at the department. Optimum plays a significant role in delivering a fulfilling experience to boutique customers, said Sanderson.
Outside of stores, SDM is advertising heavily in style and beauty magazines. The chain has also invested in key markets in prominent billboards near high-traffic stores with boutiques.
The chain has also launched a beautyBOUTIQUE website. “We really wanted to replicate the in-store experience to the extent that we could online,” Sanderson commented. The site includes brand pages allowing key manufacturers to discuss their products. Many have included television commercials or “how to” videos.
