Watsons unveils the future of retail in its 1,000th store
Wellness and beauty junkies got to experience the “future of doing retail” at the opening of Watsons 1,000th store at The Block, SM North EDSA. The event coincides with Watsons’ 20th anniversary in the Philippines, one of its fastest-growing markets.
Touted as “The Grand Store,” the newest flagship store not only carries the most comprehensive array of health and beauty products, but also features technological innovations that enable shoppers to find the best health, wellness and beauty products for themselves.
“At Watsons, we listen to our customers,” says Jared de Guzman, Watsons customer director. “Everything we do is rooted in who they are, what they need and how they shop.”
What customers want/need
In response to the customers’ need for convenience, Watsons The Grand Store is not only designed to offer a modern and stylish shopping environment, but also creates an immersive and interactive online and offline (O+O) experience for its customers.
Click and Collect. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or dining in the mall, you can shop at Watsons through the app. Just add to cart, pay, and you can collect the items in 30 minutes or less at a Watsons store near you. “This feature is born out of our customers’ love for convenience,” De Guzman adds.
Online Express delivery service is also available so that customers can have their products delivered in three hours.
Quick and hassle-free self-checkout. Shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, self-service has undoubtedly become a prevalent part of our world. Restaurants are transforming their menus to be viewable by scanning QR Codes. Hotels and airlines are reinforcing self check-in. At Watsons Grand Store, there’s a self-checkout counter. It’s simple to use. Just scan, pay, and pack. The barcode reader is quick to pick up on serial numbers. Payment options include GCash, PayMaya, debit or credit cards. You can also scan your Watsons QR code to earn points.
Personalization. After 20 years of doing business here in the Philippines, Watsons realized the importance of personalization. “At Watsons Grand Store, we have the Supplement Finder,” notes De Guzman. Just answer the questions pertaining to your lifestyle, and what you’re looking for in health supplements, “and the Supplement Finder will recommend the best regimen for you.”
Skinfie Lab. In 2022, Watsons launched a brand new skin analysis AI tool, “Skinfie Lab,” which provides shoppers with highly personalized skincare product recommendations based on their selfies. With a selfie, and by answering a few simple questions about yourself, Skinfie Lab can detect and analyze your overall skin condition. It will generate a personalized skin report with a list of product recommendations that are available in the Watsons Store and eStore.
Colour Me Virtual Makeup Try-on. This uses augmented reality technology to allow customers, even while wearing facemasks, to virtually try on the lipstick products they fancy. In addition, Watsons has introduced a virtual hair-coloring tool also in the mobile app to help customers choose the hair color that suits their features.
Virtual Health. To help customers “Look Good, Do Good, Feel Great,” Watsons unveiled its first state-of-the-art clinic powered by The Medical City. It features virtual consultation and remote physical examination. There’s a gadget (used on a patient) that enables the virtual doctor to “hear and see” everything the physician needs to make a diagnosis. Once you’re done with your checkup and have the prescription, you can buy the meds right away at Watsons Pharmacy.
“This new flagship store is a clear demonstration of Watsons’ determination to strengthen our connection with customers via seamless O+O platforms,” enthuses Dominic Lai, group managing director, A.S. Watsons Group, during the opening. “This platform strategy is at the core of our business to create an integrated experience to better serve customers anytime, anywhere.”
And endless isle
The Watsons Grand Store boasts about 20,000 SKUs. But as more and more brands come in, there’s no way it could accommodate everything in its physical stores.
“And thank goodness for technology, Watsons has what we call an ‘Endless Isle,’” shares Watsons PR and sustainability director Viki Herrera-Encarnacion.
What does that mean?
“Well, If the products you’re looking for aren’t available in any of our physical stores, you can order them online,” she explains.
And that’s the beauty of Watsons O+O platform. “It allows you to cross from one platform (online) to another (offline),” adds Encarnacion.
How it all started
At the launch, Encarnacion recalled how the brand came to the country in 2003.
“When Watsons decided to come here from Hong Kong in 2022, we found the perfect joint-venture partner in SM,” shares Encarnacion. “Both brands have the same outlook, attitude, beliefs, values.”
Watsons opened two branches right away: in SM Megamall and The Podium.
The partnership has helped Watsons expand as they opened health and beauty branches in all SM properties, pharmacies in SM Supermarkets, and beauty sections in SM Department Stores.
A few years back, Watsons decided to bring the brand closer to communities and neighborhoods through the Watsons Pharmacies.
“Our long-term partnership with Watsons has realized our promise of bringing the best-in-class health and beauty products to Filipinos,” enthuses Teresita Sy-Conson, chairman of SM Investments. “It’s our pleasure to celebrate this remarkable milestone with Watsons, and we will continue to work closely to raise the standards of health and beauty in the country through Watsons’ seamless O+O platforms.”
1,000 ways of doing good
Aside from bringing pleasurable O+O shopping experience to customers, Watsons wants to engage them further to do good to the community and the planet through its sustainability programs.
To inspire its customers to live a sustainable lifestyle, Watsons Grand Store houses the most expansive range of sustainably sourced products found in its Sustainability Zone.
“Clean Beauty, Better Packaging, Better Ingredients, and Refills are all here,” shares Encarnacion. “We also have a dedicated counter in the Beauty Zone just for refills. We also have a Healthy Food section which offers healthy food items that are so affordable.”
Watsons has also mobilized its customers to create a bigger impact with community programs such as sponsorship of free corrective surgeries for cleft children. There’s also the Alagang Pangkalusugan community medical outreach program that will support 20,000 people with free medicines in the coming years.
