Jo Horgan opened her first Mecca store in South Yarra in 1997 with just seven brands. Fast forward to today, and there are almost 5,000 Mecca team members across more than 100 retail stores throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Retail Beauty asked the staff at Mecca: “How do you best assist customers to find the right beauty products for them?” Here are some seriously interesting insights to help you nail your customer’s beauty brief.
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Cath Templer – Skin Lab Zone Manager
“Listen to your customer…then open up the conversation by asking the right questions to learn more. What can you learn about your customers’ needs, likes and dislikes, and what truly brings them joy? Is it having the latest trend, or having a quick and simple routine to follow? With this information and your sound knowledge of the products available, you can recommend a few choices for your customer to choose from.”
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Myrsini Arseni – Skin Specialist
“I make it a top priority to take the time to understand what my customer is trying to achieve and where they’re at right now. Once we have a goal in mind and I have all the information that I need about their skin, their current routine and their needs I can feel confident making my recommendations on what would be the right products for them.”
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Shannon Key – Beauty Lab Zone Manager
“I find that building rapport with the customer and asking the right questions to find out what their purpose and needs allows them to feel comfortable and at ease. This then allows me to find those gems of information to find the perfect product for them.”
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Cali Doyle – Host
“Beauty products play so many roles in our lives, they act as confidence boosters, mood enhancers and self-care rituals! Accordingly, I love to offer customers a full sensorial experience of the product – how it feels on their skin, the texture, the finish, the scent, so they can really gauge how it would fit in their existing routine. Beauty products are a commitment; I can offer the science and recommendations for individual preferences, but ultimately our customers know themselves best. It’s my goal to empower them with the knowledge and confidence in the product prior to purchase so they know they are committing to their holy grail!”
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Tracy Tang – Fragrance Specialist
“I love discovering why our customers have stepped through our Mecca doors. The moment where I’ve peeled back the layers by asking the why’s I end up finding pockets of information about the person in front of me. Whether it’s achieving a flawless base, hydrated skin or even if they’re looking for their perfect fragrance to wear on their wedding day there can be a lot to consider. I’d say keeping an open mind, staying curious, actively listening and approaching all conversations genuinely has helped me the most.”
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Hannah McClymont – Store Manager
“Identifying a customer’s confidence with the beauty world plays a huge part in how I speak about my product recommendations. Breaking down the barriers between what looks intimidating to someone new beauty, vs the solution that they are seeking, really comes down to quickly building trust with the person in front of me, demonstrating to them that I’m listening, and speaking about product in a language they will understand.”
This article was first published in the Winter edition of Retail Beauty.