Manage your services with My Singtel App
Manage your services with My Singtel App
Discover why integrating online and offline customer experiences is a winning strategy for businesses like Porcelain, YSNEAKERS and Singtel.
Porcelain's founder and managing director Pauline Ng showing how the spa's Product Discovery Bar works. Photo: Aik Chen
Times are tough for retailers. The last couple of years have seen familiar brands and stores shutting down for good. Just this year alone, teen apparel retailer Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy and department store Metro announced the closure of its flagship shop space at The Centrepoint after five years as the mall's anchor tenant.
Experts, of course, point their fingers at the Internet. The gamut of options in cyberspace has led to the decline of foot traffic as more consumers browse and shop online. But while news reports might suggest that the traditional retail sector is a sunset industry, the more enterprising players in the local business community appear to have their fingers on the pulse, ensuring they are not just keeping up, but staying ahead of the game. The secret, it seems, is to not resist this digital transformation but to embrace it.
Pauline believes that digitalisation will help to educate and empower her customers, and aid them in making more informed choices. Photo: Aik Chen
In January, homegrown spa brand Porcelain opened its fourth outlet Porcelain Origins, purportedly Singapore’s first ‘smart spa’. Located at Paragon, the facility is equipped with the latest technologies to enhance customers’ beauty treatment experience. Going digital for Porcelain’s founder and managing director Pauline Ng was a natural next step in the evolution of her business. The idea was first sparked during her visit to Silicon Valley three years ago while on a sponsored trip by Enterprise Singapore.
“Seeing the many possibilities to integrate customers’ offline and online experiences was exciting to me,” said Pauline, who started Porcelain with her mother in 2009. “The trip planted a seed in my head to try something new. But I was cautious also to not let the innovation in place become a white elephant; it should add real value to our customers.”
By tapping on tech, Pauline hopes to change the spa industry’s infamous less-than-transparent reputation. Photo: Aik Chen
Greeting customers when they first step into Porcelain Origins is its Product Discovery Bar, which enables them to explore Porcelain products. Once a product is picked up from the bar, information such as its ingredients and recommended usage will appear on the interactive screen. “Many of us tend to feel overwhelmed by the amount of product options at any spa. This lets customers empower and educate themselves, in their own time and space, without feeling like they are being pressured to make a purchase,” explained the 33-year-old.
The spa’s two consultation rooms are equipped with touchscreen tabletops, which serve as visual tools to help customers better understand their own skin as well as the therapist’s recommended treatments. Post-treatment, smart mirrors in the powder room enable them to order their refreshments, which will be ready once they are done. Said Pauline: “Via the mirror, customers are also gently reminded of their post-care tips.”
The touchscreen tabletops in the spa's consultation rooms enable customers to visualise the recommended treatments. Photo: Aik Chen
By tapping on tech, Pauline hopes to change the spa industry’s famous less-than-transparent reputation, and give back control to the consumers. But the mission is not without its challenges. “I had to make sure the whole team was on board when it came to adopting the digital interface and smart features. This wasn’t particularly easy because I was asking for a change of set behaviours,” said Pauline. “But I do believe I’m not the only business — which is undergoing digital transformation — that faces this problem.”
In their push towards digitalisation, Pauline and her team were careful not to go overboard, however. For example, they shelved the option of using facial recognition technology in the smart mirrors, deciding instead to let customers scan their mobile phones to activate the features. “We are always considering the ‘creepiness index’ of every new feature at the spa, as technology can at times freak people out by being too intrusive,” said Pauline. “We also don’t want our customers to be greeted by robots as we still very much believe in the importance of human connection.”
YSNEAKERS' founder and CEO Victor Lee has taken his online customisable footwear brand offline. Photo: Mark Lee
Human connection is also one of the many factors that motivated Victor Lee, founder and CEO of YSNEAKERS, to take his online customisable footwear brand offline. “While our online state-of-the art realistic 3D rendering technology generated quite a fair bit of fanfare when we launched, I knew from the get-go that it would be silly to just stick to e-commerce,” said Victor. “It makes sense for customers to want to see and touch the leather swatches that their sneakers will be made from, and also try the sneakers on even if they’ve already seen our offerings online.”
After a successful pop-up store run last year, YSNEAKERS was invited to occupy a permanent area in Takashimaya Singapore’s newly revamped shoes section. Being both online and offline since a year a half ago is working out for YSNEAKERS. “Having this physical space have given us a lot of direct customer feedback, which is priceless,” explained Victor. “Combining this with the data from online purchases helps us direct product development correctly based on demand.”
Retail, said Victor, will never die; brands just have to reformat as consumers' purchasing habits evolve. Photo: Mark Lee
Retail, according to the 46-year-old, will never die. “I really don’t agree with this doomsday scenario painted for brick-and-mortar businesses,” said Victor. “As long as there are human beings, we will always be buying things. Where and how we buy may have evolved and that’s why a brand has to reformat and reposition, merging both offline and online, so it sits well with the target audience.”
The father of a four-year-old boy, Victor cited tech giant Alibaba, which opened more than 65 offline retail stores since 2016, as part of its strategy to converge online and offline retail. The power, he believes, lies in the hands and preference of the consumers. “These days, consumers have a strong direct impact on the brand’s messaging,” he said. “It’s no longer wise for a retailer or a department store to take a very ‘high-nose’ (snooty) approach. We have to really understand what our customers want.”
Many of YSNEAKERS' customers want to see and touch the leather swatches that their sneakers will be made from. Photo: Mark Lee
Inevitably, retail will continue to evolve as technology makes advances in virtual and augmented reality, said Victor. And while he’s ready and excited about what’s to come, Victor also cautions against using tech for the sake of gimmicks or to make news headlines. He said: “As retailers we have to always ask ourselves if the use of tech translates to any real benefit to the customers.”
A great example of powerful technology employed in retail to improve customers’ experience is Singapore’s first unmanned telco pop-up store — UNBOXED by Singtel. Launched in June this year, the pop-up store is open round-the-clock, and allows customers to browse, buy and instantly collect the latest phones and accessories. Customers can also conveniently pay their Singtel bills or make a SIM card replacement any time of the day.
Singapore’s first unmanned telco pop-up store, UNBOXED by Singtel combines the best elements of both offline and online retail experiences. Photo: Singtel
Other cool features at the store include a live bot which guides customers around while providing them a wireless charging mat to charge their phones while shopping. Not sure which phone to buy? Fret not, as the interactive phone discovery display can show the technical specifications and price comparisons of up to six devices, to help you make an informed purchase. Thereafter, simply head to the video-assisted self-serve kiosks to speak with friendly video chat agents to purchase your preferred phone and collect it instantly at the in-store POPStation.
From bill payment and phone purchases to SIM card replacement and more, UNBOXED is a 24-hour, one-stop shop that offers customers an unparalleled level of convenience. Photo: Singtel
Check out UNBOXED by Singtel now at Orchard Road Pedestrian Walkway, in front of Wisma Atria, Orchard Road, Singapore 238877. For more information, visit www.singtel.com/unboxed
Copyright 2019 Mediacorp Pte Ltd. Article first published in www.channelnewsasia.com
