Deep Dive Into the Retail Personalization Index Top 10: The Body Shop

Founded in 1976, The Body Shop prided itself on being natural, and using ethically- and sustainably-sourced ingredients. As a result, the company faced significant backlash when L’Oréal acquired it in 2006. However, the French cosmetics giant has since sold The Body Shop to Brazil’s Natura.

Between its eco-friendly new parent company and focus on digital transformation, The Body Shop has rebranded over the past year. Last summer, Chief Digital Officer Harriet Williams said, “Generally, if we do something good for a customer, it’s good for our business.”

Personalization has been a major focus of The Body Shop’s improving customer experience. According to countless studies, consumers prefer personalized shopping experiences. At the same time, Natura reported a 24.5% increase in net revenue for the year.

When we launched the first Retail Personalization Index, dynamic creative, skin tone-based product recommendations and a generous loyalty program kept the retailer from the bottom of the pack. However, its score was still fairly low. If The Body Shop didn’t do a single thing differently, the brand wouldn’t have even made this year’s list.

The Body Shop - recommendations

How The Body Shop’s Score Improved So Much

But of course, it did. The Body Shop markedly improved its editorial content. That content is even localized, accounting for the fact that the retailer operates in 66 countries. The content also complements a first-class recommendation engine, which includes a visual hierarchy of attribute-based product recommendations organized by color and category. These recommendations cross channels, from website to email to mobile.

The latter is particularly noteworthy. Even though Williams said more than half The Body Shop’s traffic comes from mobile devices, the brand didn’t even have an app last year. This time around, it achieved a perfect score in the mobile category.

Mobile is now the Love Your Body Club’s primary home. People love the loyalty program for its exclusive perks. The Body Shop offers birthday offers, discounts and members-only events, in addition to the standard points-for-purchases. We love it because it’s so personalized. It also serves as a mobile wallet and effectively bridges the gap between brick and click.

The Body Shop - Love Your Body

When you receive a (personalized, naturally) offer, tap your smartphone. The Body Shop sends QR codes you can redeem online. They also work in-store, where sales associates can view your recent purchase history and reorder items for you.

To learn more about The Body Shop’s personalization strategy, check out their score on our Retail Personalization Index!