Shiseido selects Cegid tech as it ramps up expansion efforts

Japanese beauty brand Shiseido is rolling out Cegid’s cloud-based retail software to over 600 stores in Asia.

It says the project, due for completion in 2020, will lead to “seamless shopping experiences and better customer service”, as well as improved stock management and in-store selling thanks to centralised control and real-time visibility on retail operations. Mobile devices are being introduced in 2020 to enable staff to engage more effectively with customers.

The roll-out across six countries - including Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand - follows a pilot in 30 stores in Singapore during 2019, and previous deployments of Cegid software across various brands and stores in the UK and France: for NARS lipsticks, bareMinerals makeup and Serge Lutens perfume.

Cegid’s commerce platform will help identify best-selling ranges to help target customers in different locations - whether in department stores, airports or own-brand stores - and advise staff on what customers from America or China are likely to prefer.

“Shiseido and many of our brands have traditionally been found in department stores, but there’s now an emphasis on opening more free-standing stores to give us more exposure, direct customer engagement and control,” says Roger Lim, Head of IT at Shiseido, Asia Pacific and Travel Retail.

“Asian customers are especially led by promotions and expect high levels of service, with technology playing a key part in that role.”

The Point of Sale software provides real-time information on stocks and sales and can prove vital in checking stock availability for customers, or for making sense of complex discount programmes.

Staff can view a customer’s purchase history and offer advice and recommendations based on their profile for added-value selling. Merchandising tools also help automate replenishment, keeping shelves looking fresh and fully stocked with the right products for the right location or customer.

“Retail and consumers are evolving fast, so we needed an IT partner that can continually innovate with the times and adapt to our business and consumers demanding shopping expectations,” says Lim.

“Cegid provides us with a retail ERP backbone, marrying omnichannel sales, order and inventory management, in-store operations and loyalty all in one easy-to-use platform. It’s given us a solid foundation and model for every country we operate in.”