theceomagazine.com | 45leveraging its values of
heritage, diversity and
innovation. “I inspire my
team to be bold, balanced
and ready. We’re fortunate
to have the power of our
brands, people and results
to back our ambitions,
and I believe we can
strive further and aim
higher,” he says. “In line
with our Vision 2020
to become the most
digitally exciting
company in beauty,
in 2016 we launched
the SHISEIDO+
Digital Academy to elevate
digital proficiencies of
employees worldwide.”
For the past 145 years,
Shiseido has continually invested
in research and development to
stay in touch with its evolving
customer base. “Innovation is the
lifeblood of our business.
Shiseido has established four
Centers of Excellence – skincare, fragrance,
make-up and digital – that work closely with
its innovation centres, production bases and
R&D departments to continuously drive
innovative product development,” explains
Philippe. “These Centers provide us with
leadership, best practices, research, support
and training, which we use to optimise our
brand-building and marketing efforts in travel
retail on a global scale.”
By Philippe’s standards, the pace of
change in the travel beauty industry is so fast
that what’s true today probably won’t be true
tomorrow. “The rise of low-cost carriers has
made air travel more affordable and no longer
just a luxury for the upper classes. Duty-free
shopping has also evolved to include more
accessible categories, and mobile technology
has created increasingly connected travellers,
resulting in the need to adopt a more holistic
engagement approach. Industry consolidation
in the past five years has also created global
retailers, and there has been an eastward shift
towards Asia as a growth centre, as Europe’sduty-free market matures,” he explains.
Philippe believes the Asia region is the
epicentre of growth. The landscape has seen
an unprecedented level of change in recent
years, with retailer consolidation and mobile
and digital technology creating a global
territory of operators and shoppers. “In 2018,
the biggest growth will continue to come
from Asia–Pacific, which was the only region
that registered growth – of 20.7 per cent,
no less – for the perfumes and cosmetics
category in FY2016. This is according to
Generation Research,” he observes. “Looking
at these results, we know we have to be
where the action is so that we can feel the
pulse of the market and stay connected
with our customers. We’re seeing record
sales in Chinese travellers who make up
a significant share of our business. The
region is witnessing a huge travel boom,
with outbound travel forecast to increase
significantly over the next decade, offering
excellent potential for growth.
“What I’m most excited to note is how
the travel retail industry will continue to
embrace digital, finally turning into reality
what were once lofty ideas half a decade ago.
This evolution reminds me of some advice
I received from my father. He said, ‘Have a
plan so that you that can change it’. We are
at a watershed moment, and STR is eager
to play an instrumental role in leading this
digital innovation. With Shiseido’s Digital
Center of Excellence, we can already leverage
digital technologies to create inspiring
animations and omnichannel campaigns.”
“Despite these exciting prospects, the
industry is still in its infancy in terms of
digital adoption and offering an omnichannel
shopping experience. At the same time, we
know that there will always be a segment of
customers who value a human touch, sincere
beauty advice and who want to be excited in
their shopping experience,” Philippe explains.
“This is where we continue to stay ahead
because we understand how to connect with
travellers and invest in building strong brands
that inspire and meet their needs. Beauty can
change the world and we want to give that
confidence to our customers by helping them
find their inner beauty and strength.”WHAT IS SUCCESS TO YOU?
“Success is the celebration of our
people’s achievements for the
betterment of society, and we
continue to take pride in the value
we create for others. It’s when we
see our customers smile or when
we inspire them with beauty and
culture, helping them to find their
inner strength – you can’t put a price
tag on that,” says Philippe.
Interview | INSPIRE