andards According to Irene Lau, managing director of Watsons Singapore, the campaign is in line with the company’s commitment to set the standard for beauty retail and bring more to its customers’ lives. “With our 35th anniversary this year, we are looking for rewarding ways to give back to our over one million members for their support through the years,” she told Inside Retail. She explained that Retailssure is Watsons’ way of answering to members’ woes and address the  pain points of purchasing the wrong colour shades or unsuitable makeup  products, which shoppers in Singapore have been facing, much to their dismay.  “Allowing shoppers to exchange wrong shades or unsuitable makeup not only boosts their confidence but also the courage to trial new makeup,” she added. Irene Lau, managing director of Watsons Singapore A market rebound Lau has observed that shoppers are beginning to return to their usual lifestyles, as the country opens up its borders and people start to learn to live with Covid-19. She said that the sale of makeup is definitely seeing a rebound.  In cases where tester shades aren’t available, customers may use Watsons’ virtual try-on tool to make online purchases. However, they still sometimes end up purchasing unsuitable or incorrect makeup products.  “In most cases, customers will just put them aside as a wasted, wrongful purchase. To improve the makeup shopping experience of our shoppers, we felt it was time to pilot a makeup exchange program for the first time in Singapore,” she reiterated. Key trends Since Singapore relaxed its mask-wearing protocols, Lau has observed a surge in demand for lip colours. Cosmetic products infused with skin benefits like hydration and UV protection are also a big hit among consumers. She noted that current makeup formulations have gone beyond colour and coverage, and those with skincare-graded ingredients that help improve the appearance of the skin, eyes and lips are now the main attractions. The company is heavily relying on technology to analyse feedback from its customers, and is constantly assessing its programs, whilst connecting with both the physical and online worlds to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible. “Spurred by the shift of consumer expectations, we recently launched our home delivery express service that allows our shoppers to receive their orders within three hours right at their doorstep,” she stated. This service relies on the company tapping into its network of close to 100 stores, and it has allowed the company to be the first offline and online retailer to be able to do this, and it is still working on fine tuning this experience to make it available islandwide as soon as possible. Rising costs According to Lau, with the rising costs of living and the recent Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike from 7 per cent to 8 per cent in January, customers are becoming more price conscious. Some are switching to house brands to cope and save their resources. Riding on this sentiment, the company recently launched ‘Shop Savvy, Shop Watsons’ campaign, with an X-ray concept to unveil the hidden values and benefits of its products. “To further allay concerns over the GST increase, Watsons Brand is absorbing the 1 per cent GST Hike for 200 key own brand items for six months,” she stressed. The items range from oral care to household essentials, such as detergents and bathroom tissues, to relieve customers from the impact of inflation.  Looking into the future, Lau revealed that the company has an aggressive roadmap to introduce industry-leading warehouse automation solutions and expand its warehouse space to boost fulfilment capacity for online orders. She said the company is working on having a wider and exclusive range of products. It is also working on more collaborations with new partners to offer more rewarding customer-led initiatives. “We have so much in store for 2023. We are expanding to more stores, reinvigorating key stores with new fittings, and making continuous improvements to our web user interface for an improved shopping experience,” she concluded.