Calvin Klein Rolls Out Cosmetics

New York -- In its first foray into makeup and skincare, Calvin Klein is rolling out full-line merchandisers in department stores, specialty stores and Calvin Klein stores. According to Jim Bunn, senior vice president/general manager of the Americas for the company, "With the global launch of this completely new cosmetics line, the P-O-P selling proposition was extremely important -- just as significant a factor as making sure that we had the right product."The P-O-P merchandisers, which were manufactured by IDMD Design & Manufacturing, Toronto, are made of brushed stainless steel and clear, polished acrylic to serve three different functions: the materials had to convey the light, natural image of the new line; they had to be adapted for the different retail outlets where the product is being sold; and they had to project that these products are easy to select and purchase and the customer can have fun doing it.The company's consumer research found that while women like to purchase and wear makeup, they thought the act of trying it on and buying it was often challenging and not a lot of fun. "We wanted to offer service that would allow the consumer to see, try and purchase the products in their own way," Bunn says. "Our company's guiding principles are always the same: we want the customer to be very comfortable and not overpowered."The new line targets women in their late teens to late 30s. Bunn explains that this line is a "minimalistic" type of makeup and cosmetics and its simple but elegant merchandising reflects that image. "The merchandising features the model, Yfke, in very tightly cropped shots that highlight her eyes, cheeks, lips and glowing fresh skin instead of a heavily made-up look," he says. "We believe that there's one focus at a time -- eyes, cheeks, lips -- that women should focus on to enhance. This all has to come through at the point-of-sale."The first round of rollouts are in 100 outlets. The line can be found in Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew in Canada, Filene's Basement in Boston, and Dayton Hudson/Marshall Field's in the Midwest. Another custom design was created "that is very befitting of the Calvin Klein store on Madison Avenue," he says.The merchandising is somewhat different in each location, Bunn says, because the flavor of each store is very different: "The Calvin store on Madison is our bright shining star. It has a different clientele that is drawn to it because the whole store is designer's [exclusive] merchandise. It is very successful, but it can't compare to the power and size of Saks Fifth Avenue, which has also been extremely successful." In these particular stores, all of the categories of merchandise are offered in three different ways. The first is a traditional showcase style with testers on top for consumers who are more reluctant to sit and participate.Since the research shows that women want to have fun when shopping for cosmetics, the company also created a casual atmosphere. "There are also sit down areas that are quite large and can accommodate several customers at a time," Bunn explains. "We have found this to be very effective for customers shopping with friends or relatives because they can get immediate confirmation of the choices that they make."The final way shows a full display of goods on the wall and "is a completely integrated and contiguous 'see, try, buy' set-up. The consumer can see every SKU in the line, but it is sort of untouchable so that it always remains hygienic, pretty, clean and stocked." That way, he explains, she can always see the assortment and every SKU is repeated so she can try it. Right below that, in drawers, is the merchandise. "The customer can try anything she wants right then and there. Or, she can take it to the seating section, try it and then make the purchase from the wall where everything is self-select. It's all right there."

Calvin Klein Rolls Out Cosmetics

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