L’Oréal has announced a £10m business strategy shift for The Body Shop as it mulls over prospective buyers.
The British brand revealed that it plans to roll out a digital transformation project in a bid to expand its global e-commerce footprint.
As part of the attempt to streamline its digital offering, The Body Shop has launched a mobile-first e-commerce platform which integrates content and commerce.
The three-year strategy, worth millions of pounds, is said to focus on adapting its digital presence to the relevant region through tailoring consumer preferences for merchandising, payment and delivery options.
The new strategy has launched in 11 countries, including the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil and Indonesia.
It will then be rolled out to a further 20 countries throughout the year.
Harriet Williams, Chief Digital Officer, said: “The Body Shop is a big business, operating in a large number of countries with both franchise and non-franchise markets.
“The platform needed to strike the right balance between global brand consistency and local relevance, being flexible enough to meet the needs of each individual market.”
Dame Anita Roddick founded the brand in 1976 and saw it flourish in its early years, as consumers flocked to buy the brand's body butters and fruity scents.
However, come 2016 The Body Shop’s sales were confirmed to have fallen 4.8% to €920.8m – an ever-diminishing piece of L’Oréal’s takings.
But the new platform could be an attempt to prove its online potential, as the retailer anticipates that 20% of The Body Shop’s sales will come from e-commerce.
It reported that its global e-commerce sales grew by 19% year-on-year in 2016 – double that of the previous year.
The new digital revamp will allow customers to use a live appointment booking service for in-store consultations, as well as a personalised skincare diagnostic tool.
A click and collect function will launch later this year.
L’Oréal put The Body Shop up for sale in February, ten years after it acquired the brand from Roddick for £652m.
The multinational is now seeking approximately £851m for the ethical cosmetics brand.
