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Hi there,
A recent visit to a Sephora store in Singapore left me very impressed.
After picking out an item from the shelf, a store assistant whipped out a payment terminal, pulled up my membership details, and checked out my item on the spot. No need to locate or join the snaking queue at the cashiers. Here was a mobile cashier and customer service staff all in one.
This, for me, is the true “seamless” online-to-offline shopping experience. From virtual makeup try-ons for finding the perfect shade of lipstick to digital stock-keeping units, tech has changed the way that people interact with and purchase beauty products.
In Indonesia, more customers are choosing to buy their beauty products online. A survey last year found that an overwhelming number of respondents – 66% – shop for beauty products exclusively on ecommerce platforms, eclipsing other channels such as supermarkets.
In our Big Story this week, my colleague Jofie maps out key trends and the players to watch in Indonesia’s beauty commerce landscape.
In other news, Temu, the shopping platform that shares a parent company with Pinduoduo, took the world by storm on Sunday after a surprising Super Bowl ad. What is Temu and why was the ad surprising? Scroll down for more in this week’s Hot Take.
— Melissa
THE BIG STORY
The key players in Indonesia’s beauty commerce space
Image credit: Timmy Loen
The ecommerce boom during the pandemic has spurred the emergence of beauty startups in Indonesia, particularly in the direct-to-consumer space.
THE HOT TAKE
Team up, price down
NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW
FYI
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