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TheIndustry.beauty Awards Winners' Interview: Alexandra Scolding, Director of Beauty, Debenhams

Katie Ross
23 January 2025

In this series, TheIndustry.beauty further celebrates the successes of winning beauty businesses from TheIndustry.beauty Awards 2024 through dedicated interviews.

As the Awards is dedicated to The Innovators of the industry, we were keen to learn from their future-facing successes. From our 13 winners, we find out everything from the importance of innovation to the one beauty product they can’t live without.

Debenhams, which made the shift to a fully online business in 2021, won the Digital Retail award. TheIndustry.beauty hears from its Director of Beauty, Alexandra Scolding.

How has the shift to digital helped with the success of Debenhams Beauty?

Having a digital first mentality enables agility and rapid change in the first instance, and being able to respond to customer trends in an ever evolving trading environment is paramount. We drive engagement with rich content, being able to add relevant brands into the assortment quickly means that we can help our customer discover newness and their trusted favourites.

How does Debenhams Beauty differentiate itself from other beauty retailers in the market?

We have the ability to join fashion with beauty in a very authentic and inspiring way. All of our campaigns join our categories together, so a customer gets the full top to toe experience. Pairing relevant make up looks with the latest occasion dress, or the perfect fragrance for an event.

What are the core values that drive the company, and how are they reflected in your product offerings?

Anything is possible is a mantra we all live by at Debenhams and I think you will find this reflected in our product assortment. We have a broad offer to suit all price points, all generations, many aesthetics for multiple end use. It could be the latest fragrance from Prada, the newest K Beauty offer or an ingestible to support your health and wellbeing. Our customer is as young as she is old – and we serve all generations.

How did it feel to win the Digital Retail Award?

We were delighted. It is wonderful to be recognised by our peers, such an honour and we are just getting started.

What strategies does Debenhams Beauty employ to maintain customer loyalty and engagement in such a competitive market?

A plethora of new products and brands to surprise and delight our customers; a brilliant email marketing system – we have our beauty club to earn points; and an excellent delivery proposition – we have a repeat purchase mechanic to remind customers to re buy their favourites. We will be relaunching Loyalty as a site wide proposition very soon, which will be 'best in market' for a department store.

What role does technology play in enhancing the customer experience on the Debenhams Beauty platform?

It’s pivotal in offering a customer-first experience. We have a super commercial and agile digital product team with an always evolving tech stack that allows for deep personalisation — no two customers will get the same experience. Dan Finlay [Boohoo Group CEO] likens our e-commerce proposition to Spotify – serving each customer differently depending on their shopping habits.

How does Debenhams Beauty stay competitive in the digital beauty retail space?

Activation and strong trading stances are the key levers, we focus on driving brand awareness and reactivating our existing customer whilst acquiring new ones into our digital ecosystem. We are in a hyper-growth period and broadening our assortment is key. I am particularly passionate about supporting UK-grown brands and giving them the visibility they deserve. We aim to support all partners equally, be that independent or SME businesses as well as the big players, engendering diversity and democratisation of our offer for our UK consumer.

This is coupled with a switched on brand marketing team that has a continued heart beat of talent partnerships, cultural partnerships, social campaigns and event activations to continue to push the Debenhams brand and its beauty offering forward. They work really hard to bring everything together.

How does Debenhams Beauty manage the logistics and challenges associated with online product delivery and returns?

Fortunately, our product returns are minimal. We have a very sophisticated semi-automated DC in Burnley that is efficient and very flexible. I am really grateful that the team here are so supportive with the complexity of managing the Beauty category in a multi-category business.

What are some key trends in the beauty industry that Debenhams Beauty is focusing on in its digital strategy?

From a product perspective we are focusing on our Hair category as there is a lot of innovation in this area. We are onboarding new brands and being inclusive in doing so, which means all new brands have a purpose and point of view in helping to solve a customer problem and ensuring we have the education on PLPs (product listing page) and PDPs (product detail page) to aid conversion.

Debenhams is also using digital tools to enhance customer experience. We have tools to overcome barrier to purchase, such as skincare, haircare and makeup recommendation tools. We also have video- or photo-based colour cosmetics try-ons which are super accurate, and you can buy the look based on pre set looks from our in house MUA. These are getting excellent engagement. And for those whom don’t like to look at themselves, we have an avatar based try on tool for lips.

We will also be joining the social selling revolution soon which is very exciting! Watch this space.

How does Debenhams Beauty leverage customer data and feedback to improve its online offerings and services?

We relentlessly analyse our data to continuously improve!

And finally, what’s in your makeup bag?

Always loads of lipsticks. I wear a different colour every day, but MAC is my go to. I love the Marange and Lady Danger shades and have worn MAC Spice lipliner with the Kinda Sexy [lipstick shade] for about 30 years. Lisa Eldridge Insanely Saturated Lip Colour is a relatively new discovery, and the colour pay off is one of the best I have ever used. I wear Skyscraper Rose.

I use Garnier UV spray SPF 50 over my makeup, and the Ella & Jo 3in1 Hyaluronic Mist.

The new Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black Honey. The browny blackcurrant colour is really flattering and softer than a black. I wear this with the now extinct Glossier Play Colourslide Liner in Magic Carpet!
Am obsessed with blush at the moment. I currently use the new Hourglass Unreal blush in Moment, the Beverly Hills Flush Balm from Merit, MAC Glow Play in So Natural, Ateh Jewel's stunning Radiant Rav blush shade. I have also rediscovered Benetint!

I recently discovered Rabanne makeup, which is very cool and has some interesting and novel formats. I am using the Glitter Shot as my highlighter at the moment.

TheIndustry.beauty The Innovators Awards, staged in proud partnership with Bleckmann, will be back for 2025. Find out more at the industry.beauty/awards. For sponsorship enquiries for 2025's awards, please email partnerships@theindustry.beauty.


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