Clinique Lab launches at Macy’s in NYC

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Dive Brief:

• Clinique rolled out its new retail concept space, dubbed The Clinique Lab, in Macy’s at Herald Square in New York City on Thursday, according to information sent to Retail Dive from Clinique.
• The Clinique Lab offers a “fully personalized experience” with the beauty brand’s proprietary diagnostics tool, Clinique Clinical Reality, which uses facial scanning software to analyze skin and provide skincare and beauty recommendations.
• The Clinique Lab will launch at additional Macy’s locations in the next year, along with other “key partners,” per a Clinique spokesperson.

Dive Insight:

Clinique is expanding a partnership the beauty brand has had with Macy’s since the ’70s. The Clinique Lab builds on that foundation with its new retail concept space.

The Clinique Lab piloted its concept in China, and over the past year the company conducted retail and consumer testing. The New York City rollout was selected as the brand’s first in North America “given the iconic nature and traffic to Macy’s Herald Square,” according to a Clinique spokesperson.

“Products are merchandised by classification and the center of the shop is anchored with a large discovery and experience table [w]here our customer can discover on their own, learn through digital and virtual technology or consult with one of our specialized beauty advisers,” the company said in an emailed statement.

Clinique in 2019 launched a stand-alone pop-up concept called Clinique iD, which similarly emphasized customization. At that store, customers were able to receive a personalized skincare diagnosis.

Macy’s began an in-store beauty revamp back in 2018 as a way to challenge other beauty specialists who dominate the space. Macy’s is currently taking market share from Sephora and Nordstrom’s online channels, by showing growth with products like fragrance, sun care and hair appliances, according to a recent report by 1010data. 

The department store also houses beauty retailer Bluemercury, which recently saw improved net sales for the first quarter of the year and a boost in comparable sales of 25.2%, driven by improved store traffic and growth in its private brands.