With a 50+ year history, Molton Brown has moved with the times to stay at the forefront of the personal care and beauty industries.
Now, as part of the Kao Corporation, it continues to scale its global footprint.
Naresh Krishnamurthy plays a big role in that effort, leading digital customer experience transformation at Molton Brown.
In doing so, he aims to connect the company’s legacy with the future of digital CX. Here are five ways in which his team is doing so.
1. Follow a More Experiential Loyalty Model
Traditionally, brands in the luxury space looked at customer loyalty through transactions, i.e., points and purchases. Molton Brown has evolved this into an experiential model using SAP CX.
Sharing more, Krishnamurthy said:
We now offer exclusive previews, personalized fragrance layering advice, tailored content, and even gamification features like our Fragrance Finder on the website.
Behind the scenes, Molton Brown also uses SAP Commerce Cloud and Master Data to create a single customer view that crosses customer-facing departments.
2. Embrace "Phygital"
"Phygital" is the practice of blending physical and digital experiences. Molton Brown is embracing a phygital strategy.
For instance, it’s ensuring the product assortment a customer sees on its website mirrors what’s available in their closest store, eliminating confusion and strengthening consistency.
Now, it’s looking to go further by uplevelling its personalization strategy, so in-store, online, and AI assistants can anticipate customer needs and provide tailored recommendations.
That strategy hinges on real-time data orchestration. So, for example, if a customer browses woody fragrances online, that preference is captured in SAP. When they later book a boutique consultation and scan their loyalty profile on arrival, the associate sees a single customer view. That includes fragrance preferences, online interactions, and campaign responses, enabling the associate to make more relevant suggestions.
3. Leverage "Non-Gimmicky" Gamification
As noted, Molton Brown launched a Fragrance Finder on its e-commerce website. This offers a gamified experience where customers answer personality- and preference-based questions. It then recommends products tailored to their responses.
"It’s not just a gimmick; it’s a way to immerse customers in our brand story," explained Krishnamurthy. "The focus is on engagement, not just conversion." He continued:
All the data flows back into our single customer view. This means when a customer later visits a boutique, associates already understand which fragrances have resonated with them.
Additionally, Molton Brown has layered in exclusivity. For example, loyalty members can unlock rewards, previews, or special access through these gamified interactions.
Meanwhile, seasonal experiences, such as Molton Brown’s annual Christmas games, add to this engagement while staying aligned with the brand’s luxury positioning.
"It’s a modern, digital-first way to make luxury interactive," concluded Krishnamurthy.
4. Get Strategic on Specific Social Channels
At first, many brands jump on a new social channel to open a new door to the business. Yet, Molton Brown is always cautious to create a unique experience through its channels.
For instance, it sees Instagram as key for unveiling campaigns, sharing artistry, fragrance creation, craft, and heritage through rich imagery.
Meanwhile, TikTok is more playful and focuses on short-form engagement, such as fragrance layering tips or seasonal rituals.