Boots leans on digital as it prepares to reopen beauty counters

The health and beauty retailer will be able to offer services in its stores deemed ‘non-essential’ from June 15, which will include reopening its beauty counters.

Although the retailer will be temporarily removing testers and face-to-face beauty consultations to adhere with social distancing requirements, Boots will offer shoppers in-store and online video consultations with No. 7 advisers, which last 15-20 minutes and focus on skincare and cosmetic advice.

Other additional in-store safety measures include the introduction of a triaging process for different customers’ needs alongside dedicated social distancing wardens who will patrol stores at all times.

The retailer will also have a queuing system to limit the number of shoppers in-store at once and increase its use of floor markings and PPE for staff.

Boots, which launched a new GP and online pharmacy consultation service last month, will also be relying on its digital platform to launch its latest No. 7 product in its first worldwide product launch.

The retailer’s new retinol night cream, which has a waitlist of over 100,000 shoppers ahead of the launch next week, will be launched in the UK this week and across the USA, Thailand and Walgreens Boots Alliance’s other international markets at a later date.

Shoppers buying the product via the Boots app will have their loyalty points doubled for their purchase, and the retailer will promote the new product across social channels and digital campaign.

Boots’ online sales have nearly doubled over the course of the pandemic, and searches for skincare are up 140% year on year.

WBA global chief commercial officer Annie Murphy said: “We’ve approached this launch really differently and I am so proud of the teams who have remained determined, under such unique and unprecedented conditions to bring, yet another, game-changer to our customers. Working together with our colleagues at Boots UK and Walgreens we have focused on improving our website capacity and introduced a number of brand new virtual services to ensure our customers can still get the care and advice they expect from our amazing No. 7 beauty advisers.”