Over the past three years, Watsons China has accelerated its O+O (Offline Plus Online) platform strategy by opening nearly 850 physical stores across Mainland China. As the market gradually recovers and customer sentiment improves, the company plans to open over 300 new stores this year, further strengthening its O+O platform strategy.
During this time, Watsons has also renovated almost 440 stores in over 300 cities in Mainland China, striving for innovation in store design. With 3,900 stores now operating across 500 cities, the company recently opened an upgraded Watsons store and a Colorlab 2.0 makeup concept store in Shanghai Qingpu Wuyue Plaza and Jiangsu Changzhou Wuyue Plaza, respectively, enhancing the O+O customer shopping experience.
According to Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia & Europe), “O+O is the new standard of retail. By seamlessly integrating offline and online platforms, the O+O platform strategy helps us better understand our customers’ needs, while enabling them to shop with us across any channel at any time and anywhere.” The company’s customer insights show that O+O customers who shop with Watsons in both physical and online stores spend 3.1 times more than those who only shop in physical stores.
Watsons has been innovating its store design and customer experience to bring excitement to younger generations. The upgraded Watsons store features a dedicated skincare zone, equipped with advanced and professional skin analysis equipment, providing customers with personalised advice from in-store beauty advisors. The Colorlab 2.0 makeup concept store offers customers access to personalised makeup advice, the opportunity to try out different trendy looks, and play around with new products.
Looking ahead, Ngai says that the O+O platform strategy will still be Watsons’ core growth engine, and physical stores will continue to play a significant role in creating an irreplaceable O+O customer experience. The company plans to open over 300 new stores in Mainland China this year with innovative store design, enriched product assortment, and advanced customer experiences to better suit the needs of customers.
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