The future of beauty retail?

[JMAngel1]

So I finally went shopping yesterday to a big Boots branch and it was alk very underwhelming. A lot of the big name counters were stripped - Clinique for example had no makeup, just skincare on self serve, no SAs, no testers ( I was expecting that). Worst of all were no fragrance testers
How is the industry to survive?It made me think that beauty retailers are really going to have to step up their game with virtual try on VDUs, or house scents in fragrance note categories with good descriptions or if you like this, try this.

It was all a bit sad really. Has anyone else been shopping and felt a bit underwhelmed/nostalgic for the BC way of beauty shopping?

Funny you say this about BeautyPie, I had a subscription and I cancelled it but now I'm considering re joining. I've also bought some replacements of some Korean and Japanese skin care online.

Having said that, I'm really trying to cut down and use things up, so we'll see.

@JMAngel1

If I go browsing fragrance, I may spray up to 15 in one visit - and walk away. There's no way I would feel comfortable asking an SA to do this for me - I would feel embarrassed. It wouldn't be a good experience for me and definitely not for them!

Just to say OP, I sold fragrances for a while. The shop liked us to do it that way when possible and I didn't ever care at all. The idea was to prevent a mix on the skin, so you'd make a shortlist with the fragrance cards first, but most people just admired.

I actually really liked working out the notes that appealed to people and finding new perfumes in similar themes for them. So don't let that put you off! Someone good at their job won't mind it at all. Fragrance is a pricey purchase, a bit of decision making time (needs a few hours to develop anyway) is normal when it's not a repeat purchase or a gift.

Perfume is easy, they just need to have little 1mL samples. Lots of places already sell sets of mixed samples like the following:
Bloom Perfume - they also do a subscription so you get a monthly themed parcel of perfume samples. Best way ever to get to understand what you like. Although I now have a long wishlist
Ghe Perfume Society
4160Tuesdays
Fragrance Samples UK
Notino

There are more obviously but you get the idea. Dept stores just need to start dishing out perfume samples, problem solved.

So much effort and craft goes into the retail experience.

I find it astonishing that people can suggest that there will be similar levels of spend when people are wearing masks and behind plastic screens and so on.

In store beauty is really screwed. Zero feel good.

@PersonaNonGarter I am probably not representative of the typical beauty addict but I have always been scared of beauty counter staff.

What I did pre covid was read reviews online, figure out what I want and then go in store to buy it (so I don't need to pay shipping). Which is why I would still buy beauty items in store in the new normal but the problem is a lot of companies have waived delivery and I am working from home so not in central London everyday and have limited opportunities to visit the big beauty stores.

I can't see why assistants can't spritz a little perfume on a customer's hand. The bottles are sealed and contain alcohol, so all the shop needs to do is prevent lots of customers picking up the same bottle. It's hardly high risk of infection if someone in a visor is spraying perfume on you - no need for any direct contact.
Common sense seems to have sadly died from the virus.

Totally agree @WrinklesShminkles

But isn’t the issue that as you are choosing fragrance you are also being reminded of infections, viruses, and death?

That might sound extreme, but actually it is little cues that encourage or discourage us to buy stuff

I work on Covid ward areas so I don't have the same frame of reference for cues.

Perfumes I think will be easier - hold your wrist out at arms length, wear a mask, and you can get sprayed by a retail assistant.

Coloured products - foundation, eyeshadows, lipsticks etc You need to be able to test the colours on your skin (which for most of us is the back of our hands initially). I brought two high street foundations in a Superdrug sale, but both were the wrong shade. I’m on Zoom several times a day and have an uneven skin tone, so foundation is essential...it’s not just cosmetic counters that won’t be able to launch anything new