How has Blissim developed its omnichannel strategy?

A true French success story, Blissim (formerly Birchbox) was one of the pioneering brands in the subscription box market in the early 2010s. Over the past 11 years, the company has grown and was acquired by its American competitor before regaining its independence in 2020. But above all, it has successfully combined its DNA as a pure online player with a well-thought-out offline expansion to consolidate its growth. Here is the story of a skilfully executed omnichannel strategy.

Blissim, a pure online player in the cosmetics sector

Launched in 2011 by Mathilde Lacombe, the brand – then known as Joliebox – was based on a simple concept: introducing customers to travel-sized beauty products in a low-cost monthly box. The boxes are available by subscription and sold exclusively online. The concept, which the founder discovered in the US, was an immediate success in France and subsequently across Europe. Buoyed by this strong performance, the online-only retailer soon launched its own e-commerce site to enable subscribers to purchase the products featured in the boxes in standard sizes and to access a catalogue containing several thousand items. In 2013, JolieBox merged with its American competitor – and role model – Birchbox.

Birchbox boxes are unique in that they are fully personalised: each customer provides details of her age, skin type, needs and habits, and receives a selection of products chosen especially for her. The box’s product and editorial content is designed to create a unique experience – a ‘wow factor’. This was a key focus from the outset in the brand’s strategy – at that time exclusively online – which sets it apart from its competitors.

Omnichannel expansion: the first Blissim shop

In 2014, a year after acquiring JolieBox, Birchbox opened its first shop in the heart of New York. It was not until three years later, in 2017, that the omnichannel strategy reached France: the first shop opened in Paris. The brand had already trialled various offline formats: pop-up shops, a counter at Le Bon Marché…

By opening its first retail outlet, Blissim (then Birchbox) aims to take the concept a step further and offer its customers a seamless experience centred on the world of beauty. The shop helps attract new customers by allowing them to try out the Blissim experience before committing to a box subscription, whilst also serving as a testing ground for new products and introducing subscribers to new brands. Opening a physical shop has indeed enabled the online-only retailer to expand its catalogue by including big names in the cosmetics industry, which are difficult to access via online-only sales.

Inside the shop, the brand recreates a ‘wow’ experience: a welcoming layout, shelves organised by theme rather than by brand, curated ‘favourites’ selections and the highlighting of customer reviews are all ways of embodying Blissim’s expertise. However, the shop hasn’t forgotten its roots, as it features a dedicated corner where customers can create their own personalised box by choosing 5 miniatures from a selection of 15: personalisation is no longer done by Blissim but directly by the customer, who then takes ownership of the experience.

From day one, the shop was a huge success, attracting over 1,500 visitors. A success that has continued ever since. For the company, this realisation of its omnichannel strategy has enabled it to strengthen its relationship with its customers and community, and to offer new services not available online, whilst continuing to enhance the customer experience.

Phygital as the cornerstone of an enhanced omnichannel customer experience

Bringing together online and offline: that is the role of phygital at Blissim. For the brand, opening a shop was a way of creating the missing link for customers who now seek to purchase an experience with no disconnect between online and physical retail.

To bring this omnichannel approach to life, the shop naturally makes use of technology. Data, at the heart of Blissim’s long-standing business model, is also central to the shop’s operations: sales assistants can identify customers and thus access their purchase history and their status within the CRM programme in order to advise them more effectively. Conversely, data recorded in-store feeds into the customer database, which enables customers, for example, to view their in-store purchases in their online account, receive even more personalised advice, or ensure they do not receive a duplicate product in their next box. This connected shopping experience underpins the Blissim concept: hyper-personalisation.

Phygital, now ‘smart’, thus forms a cornerstone of the company’s omnichannel approach. It is not simply a matter of increasing the number of contact channels, but of creating an ecosystem that feeds off them to offer customers an ever more unified – and, above all, unique – experience.

The art of implementing an omnichannel strategy

For some years now, customers have been seeking greater meaning and value in their purchases. They expect to have genuine experiences when they choose and place their trust in a brand, but will not tolerate any disconnect between the relationship built online and in-store: the omnichannel journey must be seamless or not at all. More than just a combination, the connection between online and offline is therefore essential.

However, to meet these expectations, the business itself must be organised in such a way as to easily roll out new sales channels and provide unified data. As customer experience and product experience are closely linked, product information management is one of the cornerstones of a successful omnichannel strategy. It must indeed be accessible, reliable, consistent and distinctive across the various sales channels. This is made all the more complex by the fact that the channels are both online and offline.

PIM plays a vital role in this strategy, as it simplifies omnichannel deployment. Opening new channels, entering new markets or launching new products are all made possible in just a few clicks thanks to the implementation of PIM within the organisation. An essential step for any e-commerce business that, like Blissim, wishes to create a revitalised omnichannel experience.

Conclusion

Whilst e-commerce seemed to pose a threat to high-street shops, Blissim – a pure player par excellence – chose to set out to conquer the ‘phygital’ space. Whilst embracing an omnichannel approach has become essential, opening a physical shop whilst operating online remains a bold move. In Blissim’s case, its strategy of hyper-personalisation and the consistency between the online and in-store experiences have ensured the success of this ambitious roll-out. Delivering value to customers whilst generating benefits – financial and otherwise – for the brand is the aim of a well-executed omnichannel strategy. And this is also the aim of PIM, making it an essential ally for streamlined omnichannel operations.