Sephora Launches ‘Asia Store of the Future’ This Month

Technology is at the heart of the design for Sephora's new store in Singapore. The 4,585 square-foot store is located in Raffles City Shopping Mall. Set to open next week, the store includes a curated selection of products and an emphasis on mobile apps that promise to help shoppers pick just the right product.

For example, Scan to Interact technology inside the mobile app enables shoppers to scan all the products through either barcodes or QR codes that takes them directly to Sephora's ratings and reviews page. As a result, in-store shoppers get access to 1 million ratings and reviews that Sephora consolidated from around the world.

The store includes interactive Play Tables for skincare and makeup. Upon entering the store, shoppers come across an area addressing seven skin-related concerns, with products curated by concern.  At the Lift and Learn technology table, in-depth content about the product appears on a screen whenever a consumer picks it up from the display. The table includes interactive tutorials created by a “Sephora squad.” Skin services include Perk By Hydrafacial, a non-invasive facial treatment using resurfacing technology. Diagnostic tools include Skincredible 2.0, a handheld device with a camera that takes photos of three parts of a face then evaluates skin conditions and gives product recommendations based on those assessment results. 

For those who prefer a human touch, The Beauty Live Studio will hold free classes for consumers, who can book online through the mobile app. Sephora executives expect to conduct 50 classes in the first two months. The Singapore site will also offer hair care services. These free, 15-minute hair consultations will diagnose scalp and hair conditions. Another offering is a dry styling service.

To make payment painless, the store is the first Sephora location to go cashless. Beauty advisers will have mobile POS handheld devices through which payments can be made. Sephora, which is owned by LVMH, says it will open another location in Shanghai next year.