Client
Merle Norman
Client
Merle Norman
Project
Merle Norman
Industry
B2C
Consumer Packaged Goods
Services
Commerce Enablement
Content and Creative
Background
Merle Norman Cosmetics is an American cosmetics company that manufactures makeup, skincare, and fragrance products. The company is known for pioneering the “Try Before You Buy” philosophy, letting customers try on products for free before purchasing. The first studio outlet was opened in 1931, and today the company has 1,117 locations.Brief
For over 80 years, Merle Norman sold their products through their studios, in which customers could sample products, and purchase while in-store. They wanted to modernize their approach by adding eCommerce capabilities to their current site, allowing customers to also shop online with them if they did not have a studio nearby.Goals
Create an eCommerce site that would increase brand awareness, and reach new, younger audiences, while still staying true to their brand values and current customer base.
Challenge
To ensure the studios could benefit from this initiative, Merle Norman needed to provide monetary credit to a studio when a user made a purchase. The site had to recognize the user’s location when they made a purchase, then provide a percentage of the sales to the user’s nearest Merle Norman studio.
An Arctic Fox Integration
Since Merle Norman had to adhere to a short timeline, we utilized our Salesforce Arctic Fox accelerator to ensure the build was fast and efficient. Arctic Fox provided Merle Norman the flexibility to easily change the visual look of the site as needed, with little effort.
Results
The new site, complete with updated typography, iconography and imagery allowed users to browse through hundreds of products seamlessly across all devices. It also helped to increase brand awareness for Merle Norman, as users who previously did not live by a studio could finally purchase the products they offer.
