ABeam Consulting Supports KOSÉ Customer Experience Transformation

　ABeam Consulting Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Takahiro Yamada, President and CEO) has provided support to KOSÉ Corporation (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Kazutoshi Kobayashi, President and CEO) for the directly managed Maison KOSÉ Harakado store that opened on August 30, 2024, helping KOSÉ achieve transformation of the customer experience based on its vision. Support included help with development of systems and business operation design for the services to be provided, and creation of a store with an awareness of OMO (Online merges with Offline) that captures the diversification of consumer trends.

　In VISION2026, the mid- to long-term vision that KOSÉ has formulated to achieve a further stage of growth in preparation for its 80th anniversary, KOSÉ has declared the application of digital technology to the personalization of customer experiences to be among its value pursuits for realizing this strategy. Defining “Find Your Own Beauty” as its mission, they have been working to create value through contact with new customer segments through efforts including the launch of the Maison KOSÉ online site and the Maison KOSÉ Ginza directly-managed store in 2019, as well as the Maison KOSÉ Omotesando directly-managed store in 2020 (closed on July 31, 2024).
　The core target consumers of the new Maison KOSÉ Harakado store will be young digital natives, to whom it will offer a variety of services and a comfortable shopping experience to help them discover their own personal beauty. Offering a lineup of high-prestige top-quality brands developed by integrating all of KOSÉ’s cutting-edge technologies, it will provide consumer experiences that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways in addition to making purchases in order to create new customer contact points.

　ABeam Consulting provided support for the digital-based effort to transform KOSÉ's customer experience by sorting out the requirements for realization of the “Maison KOSÉ Harakado” concept. From definition of the digital technology usage requirements to performance of acceptance testing, system development, and organization and design of store operation policies, we provided multidisciplinary support by combining our consulting expertise in customer experience transformation with our knowledge of digital technology.
　We have given consideration to the spread of “liquid consumption,” a consumption style in which the younger generation of consumers in particular prefer an enjoyable consumption experience and easy, timely availability of what they want, as opposed to the product as such. In light of this, we worked on the development of beauty attractions focused on enjoyment of time spent in the store, not only through cosmetics, but also through the intangibles of the experience. In doing so, we worked on sorting out the requirements for new services using digitalization tools and the concretization of store operations to create next-generation stores responsive to new consumption styles.

　We supported the COSME BUVETTE*¹ service, in which cosmetics testers and dressers are rented by the hour, and the GIFT FACTORY*² service, in which customers enjoy the gift-making process with a full-time specialist using packaging materials they select. Specifically, this support included defining the customer journey from the perspectives of before, during, and after service use, and assistance in organizing system requirements to make the service possible. We also supported the COSME LOCKER*³ service, which provides customers with contactless in-person pick-up of products purchased on mobile phones both during and outside business hours. We improved the customer experience through OMO by designing operations and manuals for each expected store visit scenario, and by supporting the utilization of customer data that can be obtained in the course of providing the service.
　This helped create a fresh customer experience based on KOSÉ's goal of applying digital technology to the personalization of customer experiences.

■About Maison KOSÉ Harakado (KOSÉ website)
https://corp.kose.co.jp/ja/news/8760/

　ABeam Consulting will continue to provide KOSÉ with comprehensive support as it takes on diverse challenges, including its pursuit of the customer experience. We will do this by leveraging our abundant consulting experience and knowledge of the latest digital technologies. As a partner that continually shares challenges, we will help enhance corporate value and competitiveness through customer experience transformation.

*1. COSME BUVETTE is an hourly rental service providing a set of cosmetic testers and dressers for skin care, makeup, and other cosmetic products. Seven types of semi-private dressers furnished with sofas and mirrors are available, each reflecting a different design concept and user capacity. Users can take their time in trying out the cosmetics alone, or while enjoying conversation with a partner or friend.

*2. GIFT FACTORY is a special gift space with a workshop design concept. To allow customers to enjoy the time they spend waiting for gift wrapping, gift specialists do the wrapping in front of them using a variety of wrapping paper, ribbons, and other materials. They can enjoy special gifting experiences, including a message card creation service in which AI draws an illustration associated with the gift recipient's name, and an engraving service for some products.

*3. COSME LOCKER is a service providing lockers that can be unlocked with a QR code sent to the customer's smartphone via email. It makes merchandise and gifts available for pick-up at Maison KOSÉ Harakado, even outside of business hours.

■ Maison KOSÉ
Maison KOSÉ comprises directly-managed stores and an online site offering a cross-section of KOSÉ's diverse brands. Based on our mission, “Find Your Own Beauty,” we provide customers with opportunities to discover their own personal beauty through beauty experiences using “beauty attractions” that utilize digital technology and customer service by beauty consultants (our beauty department staff). In November 2019, we launched Maison KOSÉ, our online website, followed by our first directly-managed store, Maison KOSÉ Ginza, in December of the same year. Our second directly-managed store, Maison KOSÉ Omotesando, opened the following December, in 2020. (Maison KOSÉ Omotesando closed on July 31, 2024.) The first Maison KOSÉ U.S. store opened in Los Angeles on June 7, 2024 (U.S. local time).
https://kose-usa.com/maison-kose/

■ Maison KOSÉ Harakado
Store name: Maison KOSÉ Harakado
Location: B1F Tokyu Plaza Harajuku (“Harakado”), 6-31-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Opening day: Friday, August 30, 2024

About ABeam Consulting Ltd.
ABeam Consulting is an integrated management consulting firm that provides global services tailored to each country and region through its worldwide network centered in Asia. The wide range of consulting services it provides include strategy, BPR, IT, organization/personnel, outsourcing and other domains of specialized expertise. Roughly 8,300 richly experienced professional ABeam consultants advise in the areas of finance, manufacturing, distribution, energy, information communications, as well as industry, and organizations in the public sector and other sectors. ABeam Consulting creates the future together with corporations and other organizations. As a creative partner leading the way reliably through change, we contribute to industrial and societal change.
Website：https://www.abeam.com/jp/en/