Multichannel retail shopping is quickly becoming the norm for consumers in many industries. Multichannel shopping, however, has the potential to frustrate the historical "house of brands" strategies that companies such as L'Oréal have implemented successfully for decades. Instead of a neat hierarchy of brands available at specific retailers, from class to mass, companies need to integrate an in-depth understanding of how consumers shop across channels to rethink marketing tactics and strategies that are appropriate for the new environment. L'Oréal USA had to adjust its marketing approach to respond to changes in beauty shoppers' path to purchase. The company developed beauty-shopper personas to derive insights for developing multi- or omnichannel marketing strategies. This case describes how the beauty-retail environment has changed, how consumers have changed their path to purchase and the implications for channel- and chain-specific strategies. The results of in-depth consumer interviews and tracking research designed to produce useful insights into consumer behavior are included.
