Avoid One-Size-Fits-All Approach To Multiple Sales Channels

Q: How does The Body Shop ensure a sustainable supply chain in Mexico?

A: Our supply chain is like any other in the retail sector but has one key differentiator: our community fair trade programs, which have been part of our business since 1987. This initiative started with our founder traveling worldwide and asking women how they were told to take care of their skin, hair, and well-being. With this, she learned that several natural ingredients would be highly effective and could be incorporated into cosmetic products, unlike any other traditional supply chain. We need to coordinate with our communities to ensure we get the necessary materials.

Q: What initiatives or campaigns has The Body Shop implemented in Mexico to promote sustainability and environmental protection?

A: Anita Roddick, our founder, kick-started our Community Fair Trade initiatives. The Body Shop purchases ingredients at a fair price, usually from women from marginalized and vulnerable communities, and incorporates these ingredients into our product. In Mexico, we work with two communities: one in Hidalgo, where we source cactus mitts, and the second one in Campeche, where we obtain all the aloe vera that is used across all our products sold across the globe. These programs are closely supervised to ensure we give communities a fair price for their products and labor. 

Another example is the management of our carbon footprint. For example, before shipping the aloe vera extracted from our community in Campeche, we transform the raw ingredient into powder to reduce its weight and, as such, the environmental impact of its transportation. 

Q: How does The Body Shop ensure the ethical treatment of workers in its Mexican operations? 

A: These communities are our partners, not our employees, and we ensure that their working conditions are appropriate. 

With our staff, we pride ourselves in strictly ensuring fair payment across genders and have diversity quotas that we look closely into, among many other practices. 

Q: How does The Body Shop engage with its Mexican customers in-store and through e-commerce platforms? 

A: As a company with brick-and-mortar and digital sales channels, it is clear that consumer journeys vary by channel, even if it’s the same consumer making the purchase. There is no one-size-fits-all approach; as such, how we communicate and engage with our consumers varies by channel. Our e-commerce clients want convenience and are usually looking for the best possible price. In contrast, our brick-and-mortar consumers want to explore and interact with our brand, so we focus on the in-store experience, whether it be one of our associates sitting down with them to talk about the best product for their skin, to providing a sensory experience at our sink leveraging our exfoliators and our beloved body butters. The staff needs to be highly familiar with the products so they know how to explain them and can establish a connection with the consumer. 

Q: How does The Body Shop approach market research and consumer insights in Mexico to stay ahead of evolving beauty trends and customer preferences? 

A: Product development and their respective launching campaigns are done in the UK. But locally, it is essential to understand beauty trends and what Mexican consumers deem important to make the brand relevant. For example, The Body Shop has never been tested on animals since our creation in 1976. While this is a conversation we have had with our global consumers for a long time, in Mexico, we are doubling down on this feature, given how we, as a society in Mexico, have become invested in the subject. 

Q: What is The Body Shop’s vision for its growth and impact in Mexico and how does it align with the company’s global mission of being a force for good?

A: Our purpose as a brand is to make the world a more just and beautiful place, and we need to ensure that every action we take always has that mindset behind it. Whenever we decide to open a store, hire someone or even work with a local vendor, we always need to make sure this decision is helping the communities we are working with. 

Regarding our strategy, we have an ambitious expansion strategy in Mexico for the next few years. Last year, we unveiled the first Workshop store in Mexico, a new concept with a refill station – the first of its kind in Latin America. Since then, we have opened three more stores and remodeled two. We plan on opening similar stores over the next few years, many outside Mexico City. We, of course, are also focused on expanding our e-commerce strategy, given its importance.

The Body Shop is a global retail business serving over 30 million customers worldwide and operating in about 3,000 stores in over 70 countries. Headquartered in the UK, the company specializes in the manufacturing and sale of cosmetics, soaps, creams and many other beauty products.