Revlon will unveil its Web site makeover in early 2001 with new technology and marketing tools rather than e-commerce, Senior VP-New Business Development Emily Stone said at the IQPC-sponsored Beauty Online conference in New York City July 18-19.

While the site will use state-of-the-art technology for relationship marketing promotions and content development, products will not be available for sale, Stone announced.

With the new brand promotion slant, Revlon plans to build partnerships in the area of technology and explore potential strategic alliances that will allow the site to provide "personalized beauty advice" to consumers.

A potential partner, for example, could provide capabilities allowing a consumer to try products from home while a friend can simultaneously log on long distance to view the results, Stone explained.

Profiling techniques also will be used to provide consumers with more individualized advice about which products to buy, the exec added.

The new marketing tools will allow Revlon to transcend some of the restraints that come with being a mass market merchandiser, Stone maintained, such as not having access to women who shop in department stores or those looking for beauty advice. The Internet could help close the gap between prestige and mass brands, she suggested.

Revlon will not pursue the e-commerce approach because of concerns over the "manufacturer of a brand going to market directly to a consumer," Stone said.

The decision will prevent Revlon from having to make a significant financial investment in this area, which requires extensive customer service and fulfillment support with little return on investment.

Instead, Revlon will use links to various clicks-and-bricks and pure-play retail partners to encourage Internet sales. Brand sales on third-party sites rank first or second wherever the company has an online presence, Stone said, noting the results are higher than brick-and-mortar sales rankings.

Links to drugstore.com, beautyjungle.com, drugemporium.com and planetRx.com have been featured on Revlon's site since mid-June. As an alternative to buying online, consumers can use a feature that allows them to find the nearest retailer by entering their zip code.

Revlon also plans to ally with additional "high profile sites with significant traffic in our demographic," Stone said. "The more places you are in, the better...as long as you are in the right place." Potential partners will deliver excellent customer service and allow Revlon to retain brand control, she added.

Eventually, the company envisions the links will lead consumers to an "online boutique" within the sites that features Revlon brands with an option to buy.

The first of these boutiques will debut in August with Revlon's Go Chili fall color collection in an online version of the "Revlon Report." The report, which changes seasonally, is currently available in stores as a hard copy booklet. The August edition will include a promotion encouraging customers to visit revlon.com.

The report touts new products, makeup tips, directions on how to get the season's look and a "Things We Love" section that features the latest fashion trends. The Revlon Report will be available on the company site as well as on some e-tail partners.

"I liken them to having a wall," Stone said. "Revlon has a wall which defines our space at our mass retail partners, and it's not unlike that on an e-tailer. It's carving out space that is brandcentric."

Revlon will judge the success of the revamped site not on sales revenue but on enhancing brand awareness and global image around the world, Stone added. As a global brand available in 175 countries, Revlon will launch the site worldwide eventually, Stone noted.

"We are coming to grips presently about how we are going to take a global brand with a global message and localize the execution of the Web in...regions and not by [individual] countries around the world," she said.

Revlon's view of the Internet as primarily a marketing tool is similar to that of Estee Lauder, which plans to stress consumer communication as the top priority for its Web family rather than Internet-based sales (¹ [A#02210300001]).

Revlon Web Site Revamp Emphasizes Marketing, Excludes Commerce

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