Henkel : opens its first D2C concept store in Berlin

Dec 13, 2021Düsseldorf / Germany

Digital brand experience at the House of Schwarzkopf

Henkel opens its first D2C concept store in Berlin

In October, Henkel opened its first D2C concept store - the House of Schwarzkopf - in Berlin. Together, the company's business unit Beauty Care, its digital unit Henkel dx and the agency Solidsense GmbH created an interactive retail space and hair salon with new digital applications for a unique customer experience. These worlds are combined under one roof: Schwarzkopf's rich brand heritage and Henkel dx digital expertise which together result in a space for inspiration and craftsmanship that offers personalized products, services, and experiences.

"The House of Schwarzkopf is not only the new home of the most iconic hair care brand of our time but also creates a bridge from the past to the future - located in the heart of Berlin where Hans Schwarzkopf laid the foundation stone, its new home now combines more than 120 years of expertise in hair with state-of-the-art technology, creating a place where the brand and its values, promises, products and history are not only represented but can be truly experienced," says Rik Strubel, Chief Marketing Officer Henkel Beauty Care.

Besides a broad range of professional hair care products, limited editions, as well as a new flagship brand, exclusively available in the House of Schwarzkopf, customers can personalize products and get inspired at various interaction points. By integrating personalization and augmented reality in the customer experience, the House of Schwarzkopf is combining brand heritage with innovative technologies.

Cutting-edge digital technologies

"With the House of Schwarzkopf, we want to establish Schwarzkopf as a consumer-centric player by creating a platform that invites consumers to experience Beauty Care products and applications in a completely new and digital way. With the 'Make-over-Mirror', for example, our first-ever completely inhouse developed Augmented Reality application that is assisted by an Artificial Intelligence, we are leveraging one of the major trends we are currently seeing - the shift towards more personalization and the wish of consumers to try products before buying them," says Michael Nilles, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Henkel.

The 'Make-over-Mirror' enables consumers to test hair colorations via state-of-the-art Augmented Reality in an interactive way. New styles and colors are thereby available at the consumer's fingertip, enabling a smooth change of hair color and supporting the consumer in its purchase decision.

Pioneering the Salon of the Future

"We are delighted to inspire our clients with a unique experience featuring product innovations, digital technologies and best-in-class hairdressing services by the internationally renowned hair stylist Hauke Schmidt who is managing the new salon. We trust him and his team to provide a professional hairdressing experience to the clients of the House of Schwarzkopf - his salon concept fully reflects Schwarzkopf's aim to support hairdressers in offering a professional and unique hairdressing experience that brings the craftmanship and the salon of the future to life," says Stuart Hamid, General Manager Henkel Beauty Care Professional Germany, Austria & Switzerland.

In the House of Schwarzkopf consumers can also experience the innovative Schwarzkopf Professional's SalonLab Smart Analyzer. The award-winning SalonLab Smart Analyzer and Consultation App is providing scientific hair diagnosis that complements hairdresser's expertise to enable best-in-class and truly personalized color and care consultation. The innovative SalonLab Smart Analyzer is an integral part of the House of Schwarzkopf offering. Depending on the individual need, consumers can choose from a broad range of Professional products.

SalonLab was developed under the guidance of Henkel Beauty Care's scientists and hair specialists and is evolving further in close collaboration with Henkel's digital unit "Henkel dx", infusing more than 120 years of hair expertise, research, and consumer insights into the proprietary algorithms.

The virtual House of Schwarzkopf & RAQN

The personalized experience and various interaction formats of the House of Schwarzkopf are powered by RAQN, Henkel's consumer & customer digital business platform, and its Consumer & Customer (CQ) Intelligence engine. RAQN also powers the launch of the virtual House of Schwarzkopf, which accompanies the opening of the concept store. Here, visitors can virtually explore the House of Schwarzkopf interaction points, register for exclusive House of Schwarzkopf events and access treatment booking for the inhouse hair salon. The virtual House of Schwarzkopf is also home to the online shop where customers can find the Schwarzkopf flagship brand, limited editions, and special heritage products.