10. Product Concepts

Product Components
Quality

Cliniques products are known for their high quality. The reason they are so high in quality is the fact that the company uses high technology in the production of the cosmetics and also uses special ingredients. Today's consumers insists upon quality, especially if cosmetic products are concerned. Clinique has achieved that there name alone is connected with high quality.

Design

Clinique's design has stayed the same for many years, but now Clinique is starting to redesign the packages of some products. Clinique has a simple yet recognizable design and logo, which attract many customers.

Customer Service

Clinique pays great attention to the importance of customer service. Their service just like their products are high quality. This gives Clinique a competitive advantage compared to other companies that don't realize how important good customer service is. Good customer service can help create customer loyalty.

Clinique's salespeople have to be very professional and must provide customers with specific information about their products and be able to give advice about skin types and skin care.

                

Clinique Service as YOU like it concept

Clinique, the number one prestige cosmetics brand in the United States, unveils a revolutionary shopping experience at Lord & Taylor Fifth Avenue. The must-see destination is reinventing the prestige beauty shopping model with Clinique's service as you like it concept that offers multiple levels of service and new ways to shop for beauty products at the counter.

The new state-of-the-art counter provides an innovative, dynamic and engaging shopping experience. Clinique's service as you like it means consumers can partake in one or all of the following shopping experiences based on their individual needs and moods:

• Full-service: A one-on-one consultation is perfect for the consumer who has time and wants expert skin care analysis and application tips.
• Guided self-service: The state-of-the-art skin diagnostic allows consumers to browse alone and offers one-on-one service on demand. With guided self-service, consumers identify their skin care concerns and receive personalized skin care recommendations using a 90-second computer-guided skin care analysis.
• Self-service: The play-and-pay concept offers features such as the Color Bar and interactive Mascara and Lip Bars in a welcoming, easy-to-use layout, making it convenient for consumers to test, pick up and play with their favorite products. Additionally, the Browsing Basket is not only convenient but also signifies to the consultants that a consumer wishes to browse alone.

18. Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Clinique uses different sales promotion techniques in order to increase public acceptance and interest in their products. Clinique's most frequently used sales promotion techniques are contests and sweepStakes, and premiums.

One example of a sweepStake took place recently, when people could take a survey on Clinique's website to see if they qualified for Clinique's Beauty Bootcamp. Contestants that qualified automatically received Clinique's new Acne Solution Clear Skin System and then were entered in a competition to win a Total Celeb Makeover or an Apple MacBook.

An example of the sales promotion technique premiums is Clinique Bonus Time. In certain periods of the year Clinique offers certain gifts to customers with every purchase. This technique works very well, is very popular and stimulates sales, but also attracts new customers. Clinique uses other techniques also, such as coupons, samples etc., with the goal to increase sales, and attract new customers.

Clinique pays a lot of attention to personal selling. Not only is personal selling an important advertising technique for Clinique, but it also helps create a positive image and brand loyalty.

Clinique's salespeople are specially trained to understand and recognize customer's skin types and to give them skin-care advice by recomending certain Clinique products that suit them the best. This has a specific and positive affect on customers because they feel that Clinique cares about helping them by having an individual approach to every customers needs.

The employees that sell Clinique's products to customers are called Clinique Consultants. They are service oriented and have good communication skills. They are recognizable because they wear Clinique's specific white lab coats.

Education Managers are also Clinique's employees and their job is to provide Consultants knowledge about products and how to present their products to customers. Education Managers teach Consultants service and selling skills that are necessary to meet Clinique's standards.

17. Advertising and Public Relations

Clinique's advertising strategy consists of targeted advertising and personal selling. 90% of Clinique's budget for advertising is used for magazine and newspaper advertisements. These ads are found in magazines, like Elle, Cosmopolitan, that are read by their target market, women that care about quality and health. Their ads are connected with the image they want to create. Close-ups of their products are presented on a white background and it that way emphasizes the product and it's design. The design and packaging hasn't changed in a long time, but now Clinique is starting to redesign the packaging. The goal of their advertising is to create an image of cleanliness, technology and quality. They also want to achieve an image of a sophisticated brand that health awared women use.

Personal selling is an important element of Clinique's advertising strategy. Clinique's salespeople wearing lab coats help customers find a product that suits their skin type best. The salespeople have to thoroughly understand Clinique's products and have good communication skills in order to successfully sell their products.

Until recently Clinique has targeted women from ages 25 and above, but now has recognized a new potentially profitable segment- teenage girls. Ofcourse, reaching teenage girls requires a different advertising strategy which Clinique is successfully implementing by putting ads in teen magazines and advertising on MTV.

15. Retailing

New retailing experience.

 IPad Skin Diagnostic.

The new device, called the iPad Skin Diagnostic Tool, was installed in new counter configurations, which ultimately includes new product testers for foundation and color cosmetics and a new smart-screen scanner that provides product information and even reviews from other consumers. "By integrating digital technologies into the shopping experience, we are offering the consumer a stimulating and socially modern way to connect with the brand," stated Lynne Greene, global brand president of Clinique.

The first digital advance out of the gate is the iPad device. By answering questions about individual skin conditions, the iPad analyzer is designed to produce a personal analysis for a consumers, providing 180,000 possible product recommendations.

Microsoft Surface.

Clinique Smart Bar.

The new digital interface enables shoppers to place specially tagged Clinique products on the Clinique Smart Bar. The shoppers can then access product information, and Clinique.com’s best in class user reviews and how-to videos, before adding their products to a virtual browsing basket.The application allows shoppers to print out a barcode and present it at the nearby express service counter for quick checkout. Shoppers can also share the virtual browsing basket directly to their Facebook or via e-mail.
“Today’s consumer has more tools and devices than ever before to communicate, connect and learn. From the explosion of smartphones to Google to Facebook, our consumers are looking beyond a one-dimensional experience,” said Ricardo Quintero, Clinique’s senior vice president, global general manager, Market Development.

Both devices have been installed in a number of department stores, and reportedly the results so far have produced sales increase of 30% in the first stores. Clinique is trying to stay on the cutting edge of innovation. Nowdays consumers move from one screen to another, sending and gathering information via phone, e-mail, text, etc. 50% of all in-store purchases are influenced by online information. IPad and Clinique Smart Bar gave the service a higher level of credibility.