shu uemura is a globally renowned cosmetics company. It is known for its striking, expressive and artistic sensibility that originated with its founder, Mr. Shu Uemura. Now owned by L’Oreal, shu uemura is a leading cosmetics brand.
In Asia, shu uemura, like other make-up brands is often sold in airports and can be purchased by customers when they visit different markets. Additionally, like most brands, shu uemura’s communications strategies are localized to each market, meaning that as customers travel, they are likely to have a unique experience throughout various destinations throughout their travels.
shu uemura wanted to ensure that their best customers had a consistent experience.
They needed to implement a consistent loyalty program experience across markets that could reward customers both online and in store.
Strategic Planning
Data Research & Analysis
Design Systems
Branding
The solution
Each market in Asia is distinct in its culture, cosmetics sensibilities, digital platforms and on how it perceives the shu uemura brand. To meet the challenge, we needed to design a program that offered each market the flexibility to adapt the program to their environment – but also offered consumers a clear, consistent and enjoyable loyalty experience.
Through primary customer research, multiple-market brand stakeholder interviews and frequent client-agency design workshops, we identified the core brand experience, consumer interest, technology, and business cross-market common denominators.
Based on these cross-market common denominators, we developed a universal shu uemura loyalty program - Shu For Me Rewards. The name of the program and theprogram itself is rooted in both rewarding and celebrating the desire of each customer to express themselves.
In order for each market to adopt the program locally,
we built a comprehensive loyalty toolkit containing:
· The program proposition – rationale/focus
· A framework and identified product examples for customer rewards and recognition
· A planning framework to manage reward costs/ generosity ratios
· Program tagline and visual identity
· Visual guidelines
· Communication templates and assets: web, emails, messaging platforms, DM
· Program strategy/playbook
Our loyalty program design and toolkit was delivered to the central shu uemura team in Tokyo. To date, the program has been adopted and localized across 6 different Asian markets: Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia.
