Age of innovation

FROM humble beginnings as a dispensary in Hong Kong some 175 years go, the A. S. Watson Group has since established its presence as a force to be reckoned with in numerous countries throughout the world. In Malaysia, the company’s legacy is upheld as Asia’s leading health and beauty retailer – Watsons Malaysia. “The DNA of the A. S. Watson Group is about passion, teamwork, commitment, science and innovation,” shared Watsons Malaysia chief operating officer Caryn Loh (pix). This year, Watsons Malaysia takes innovation to greater heights with the opening of a remodelled concept store, revamping of the online platform and launch of a new mobile app.
THE STORE
The Watsons Sunway Pyramid outlet first opened in July 1997. In April this year, it was shut down for renovations. This led to the reopening of a new concept store on May 7.
The remodelled outlet, which will now serve as Watsons Malaysia’s flagship store, offers a larger space heightened by 62% in size, to accommodate the merging of personal care store called Muse by Watsons. This new entity under the Watsons umbrella comes as a premium beauty retail store.
Loh shared that the inspiration behind its new concept store was realised through its consumers demand for better experiences, both offline and online.
“The older generation prefer to shop offline while the younger ones prefer online. In the retail market however, there are a lot of people who still love to shop offline, while another portion of people shifting to online,” said Loh.
“The idea is to merge these two experiences together, so that the offline customer experience is also linked back to online. This is what differentiates Watsons from our competitors.”
Besides boasting a repertoire of more than 600 brands and products, the flagship store is also home to a number of services for consumers. These include:
▶ all-around pharmacy counter, for all matters of healthcare needs;
▶ make-up artists who can help you pick the right beauty are products to match your style, or even help when you need a quick make-up fix;
▶ Eucerin skin analysis and treatment, free with purchases of RM150 worth of skincare products (including one Eucerin item) at Sunway Pyramid only;
▶ charging station for customers in need of quick battery juice;
▶ self-checkout counter for days when the line is too long and you only have one item to purchase; and
▶ beauty corner wall that provides customers with beauty inspiration, tips and tricks from Watsons Friends.
In the future, the new concept store will also incorporate other digital elements. Among the plans in the pipeline are the inclusion of a live social media update wall and electronic devices for convenient online shopping.
THE APP
Watsons Malaysia continues to ride the wave of innovation with the addition of convenient shopping options on its website, plus the launch of its brand new mobile app.
The revamped website, which also functions as an e-store for consumers, was given a refreshing new look. True to the company’s commitment to provide better customer experience, the options of home delivery and “Click & Collect” were introduced.
With “Click &Collect”, customers have the convenience of picking up their paid-for products at a preferred Watsons store.
The Watsons Mobile App on the other hand, gives Watsons VIP members a whole new hands-on experience.
With the mobile app, customers can choose to:
▶ link VIP memberships so that points collected will never be an issue, especially when the card is left at home;
▶ Scan and Buy functions for a faster and easier product search by just scanning the product’s barcode;
▶ Pay with Points and get real-time points balance on-the-go; and
have a favourites list for all the brands and products that you have been loyal to.
The subscription of the mobile app comes with rewards for VIP members, both new and old. New members can enjoy rewards of up to RM1,000 when they register for VIP membership with Watsons while, existing VIP members who shop on the mobile app stand a chance to win prizes of up to RM10,000. These include a pair of flight tickets to Busan, Korea worth RM6,036, along with the chance for 10 lucky members to win Touch ‘n Go reloads worth RM500. For more information, log on to the Watsons website or download the app from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store now.