Role of Japan's Beauty Goods Sales Staff Undergoing Change

Tokyo, March 6 (Jiji Press)--The role of beauty goods sales staff at department stores and other shops in Japan is evolving from interacting face-to-face with customers to being beauty "evangelists" who also use digital technology to spread information.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, beauty sales staff were tasked with assessing customers' skin, sometimes by directly touching it, to suggest the most suitable cosmetics for them. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, however, demand for interactions that are not face-to-face has increased, and the staff have faced competition from influencers who use social media to spread beauty information.

Kao Corp. <4452> plans to train some 5,500 beauty sales staff to be able to serve customers both in-store and online by 2025.

"'Evangelists' will transcend the divide between online and offline, and embody our brand," the company said.

The cosmetics maker is introducing devices at about 1,250 store counters that can be used for posting videos. It hopes to develop its brand by having staff engage in sending information, as well as serving store customers.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]