The Shilla Duty Free has reaffirmed its commitment to blended online and offline retail experiences after wrapping up its latest virtual beauty masterclass for La Prairie.

Two hundred of The Shilla Duty Free’s VIP customers attended the fourth virtual event featuring the Swiss luxury makeup brand’s products on 14 October.

Hosted by former South Korean news anchor Park Seon-young, the event spotlighted La Prairie’s latest product ‘Skin Caviar Harmony L’Extrait’.

Attendees received a delivery of the product to their homes and enjoyed a lecture from a La Prairie education manager alongside product demonstrations.

There have been six instalments of the travel retailer’s successful ‘Virtual Masterclass series’ to date, the first of which took place in July 2021. All assume a non-face-to-face format.

In a novel twist, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were offered on the occasion of the latest event to enhance the customer experience.

Average triple-digit sales increase

The NFT giveaway forms part of The Shilla Duty Free’s consumer experience innovation to connect online events with offline stores.

The tokens can be exchanged for a benefit exclusive to the attendees when presented to an employee either at the Shilla Duty Free’s Seoul downtown store or at the La Prairie shop at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2.

The three most recent events for La Prairie have averaged a triple-digit increase in sales.

Brands such as Gucci Beauty and Burberry Beauty have also taken advantage of the series, tapping into The Shilla Duty Free’s powerful expertise and retail footprint in South Korea and overseas.

An official from The Shilla Duty Free said: “With the goal of providing a new shopping experience that makes use of a variety of content, we will take the lead in customer service innovation through various attempts such as virtual masterclass on the metaverse platform and beautify classes that blend online and offline experiences.”