Virtual makeover: How beauty founder reinvents spa business to meet shifting customer needs

For Pauline Ng, success has been all about staying ahead of the curve.

Since co-founding Porcelain Skin, with her mother Jenny Teng in 2009, fresh out of university at 23, Pauline has skilfully navigated the changing business landscape. She’s quick to adapt her strategies to meet new challenges and market shifts.

This agile approach to running the business is one of the reasons that kept her business afloat when the Covid-19 pandemic struck four years ago. Porcelain Skin’s physical stores had to close their doors during the lockdowns. 

The entrepreneur had never imagined the need to take her successful brick-and-mortar business online, but she knew she had to rethink her approach if she wanted the company to remain competitive. 

With a line of in-house formulated beauty products already complementing the spa treatments, the 38-year-old saw an opportunity in e-commerce marketplaces to maintain connections with long-time customers and reach new ones. She chose to set up shop on Lazada.

Getting into the e-commerce business put her on a steep learning curve. 

Despite having explored online sales with Porcelain Spa’s own website, establishing a store in LazMall was a significant transition. 

“Learning how to sell on e-commerce is very different from selling at a physical store. There are so many other details to learn and think of, for example, product photography,” she says.

Solutions for engaging customers

Customers shopping on her website were already familiar with the brand; building a presence on an e-commerce marketplace, however, meant competing for attention among countless other sellers.

Lazada’s easy-to-use and effective seller tools offered promising potential to help grow her online business faster. Store vouchers and vouchers for store followers, for example, helped engage customers and cultivate brand loyalty.

Promotions, she finds, are one of the most powerful ways to grab the attention of buyers, especially new customers, and help them “maximise their budgets”. In May, for example, Porcelain Skin offered special limited edition bundles and additional gifts with purchase for their Bio-DNA Defence Aqua Gel and Bio-Reset Intensive Night Recovery Elixir for Mother’s Day.

Porcelain Skin has also benefited from Lazada Sponsored Solutions in marketing its beauty products, leading to increased brand visibility and optimised campaign results.

For instance, Sponsored Discovery targets potential shoppers by enhancing store visibility in search and recommendation placements. With Sponsored Affiliates, Pauline could tap into Lazada’s vast network of affiliate media and influencer partners to gain access to a wider pool of potential buyers beyond the platform. 

Bridging the physical and digital experience

Today, the beauty brand offers its customers the best of both worlds.

Porcelain Skin graces the online shelves of LazMall with its suite of beauty products, which include cosmetic and skincare essentials. There are also three physical spa locations where they can shop for products, and enjoy pampering facial and body treatments.

It’s about having an ecosystem that customers live in, says Pauline. They can shop conveniently, whenever and wherever. 

“Being on LazMall provides an additional touchpoint that fits into their daily lives seamlessly since people are spending more time on their phones. It’s easier for them to access our brand, and this is especially helpful for customers who are learning about us in the discovery phase.”

Through e-commerce, Porcelain Skin has gained new customers that it would never otherwise have reached, she adds. 

And the company now values this aspect of the business just as much. Her staff of 75 includes a dedicated e-commerce team focused on keeping the brand competitive in the online marketplace. 

“We’re motivated to up our game by offering the best quality and value to customers who are spoilt for choice in e-commerce,” says Pauline.

Learning to lean on others

Pauline’s story illustrates how embracing change and leveraging the right tools can lead to new opportunities. 

However, she also shares the importance of finding balance and having the right support network.

Her advice to other women entrepreneurs who are considering setting up their online businesses is, “Take it one step at a time, focus on the details and break down the process to make it more manageable.” 

She also encourages them to be patient with themselves and to lean on their support systems during challenging times. For her, it was her close-knit team and family. 

“I borrow a lot of strength from my team. I lean on them a lot and I learned to trust them to weather the changes. I also learned to be kinder to myself.”

Discover Porcelain Skin’s products in their LazMall store.