Located in the city center of Milan, the new Amazon “parapharmacy” [1] features a curated selection of beauty and skin care items from brands including Eucerin, La Roche-Posay, Vichy, Avène, Bionike, Rilastil, CeraVe and more.
Amazon’s first foray in brick-and-mortar beauty retail in retail in Europe opened its doors to the public on Wednesday, February 12, thus allowing consumers to explore in real life the assortment beauty and personal care products the company will progressively make available throughout the year to online stores in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
Learn, play and test
“We’ve designed this store to bring us one step closer to our customers and to deliver an innovative experience, merging cutting-edge technology with expert advice,” said Giorgio Busnelli, Vice President of Amazon’s Consumer Goods in Europe.
The store features two distinct areas: the Main Gallery, the central hub displaying the beauty, personal care, and dermatological offering; and the Derma-bar, an experiential area where customers can receive complimentary digital skin analysis and product recommendations from beauty experts.
The space is full of interactive and non-interactive screens allowing customers to learn more about products.
With the “Place & Learn” feature, implemented by Inovshop Group, an expert in digital solutions for retail, customers simply place a product on a sensor-equipped surface, immediately revealing various product details (ingredients, usage) to support their shopping journey.
The store also features a section staffed by on-site pharmacists, where customers can purchase “non-prescription, over-the-counter medications.” The pharmacists are also available to provide expert information and guidance on products.
AI-powered skin analysis
For a truly personalized beauty experience in the Derma-bar, Amazon entrusted Perfect Corp, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) beauty and fashion tech expert, and Inovshop Group, to introduce an AI Skin Analysis tool on self-service mirrors with iPads.
Customers can use these digital tools to have their skin analyzed at one of three in-store stations and obtain a comprehensive report on their skin type and condition by having. Perfect Corp.’s Skincare Pro app analyzes 15 skin concerns to create a customized skin profile, thus allowing the store’s beauty experts to provide product recommendations based on the results. The derma-bar also features try-on stations to sample products.
The opening of the new store illustratres the progress Amazon has made in the beauty and personal care market. The company began offering health and beauty products in 2000, but its selection was initially limited to mass-market brands.
However it is not Amazon’s first foray in physical retail. The company opened and then shuttered bookstores, and apparel stores. Recently, has also shrunk its footprint of Amazon Go convenience stores. In grocery, Amazon’s portfolio includes Whole Foods supermarkets.
