In partnership with Sephora, the company has been using Pocket Store vending machines in four metros in the French capital to sell a 15ml format.
Priced at €10, the limited edition flacon is affordable enough for spontaneous purchases. In addition, it fits well the trend to reduce the size of the product and its price tag in an attempt to attract consumers hard up in the recession.
The vending machines are present in Charles-de-Gaulle, Miromesnil, Montparnasse and La Défense for a period of two weeks only, February 7 – 20, and spokesperson for the company Claire Blondel told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com the reasons behind the move.
Marketing buzz
“This is really a marketing event to create a buzz, rather than a new way to sell perfumes in France,” she said.
In an attempt to create a true ck one space, floor stickers and banners have been used, increasing the impact of the vending machine alone.
In addition, a ‘ck one girl’ is on hand to spray samples of the fragrance for passersbys.
Nearing the end of the two week experiment, Blondel said the company was happy it had been a success and had got so many people talking about the brand and the iconic fragrance ck one in particular.
According to the company, vending machines were chosen as they embody the ‘I want everything, and I want it now’ characteristic of the new millennium.
Selling everything from chocolate snacks to iPods, the vending machines were the natural choice for the ck one fragrance, which is, according to the company, the symbol of an avant-garde and non-conformist generation.
Retailer Sephora is no stranger to the format. In the US, it has been installing larger format vending machines in selected JC Penney stores that are too small to have a Sephora beauty boutique.
The vending machines, Zoom Shops, were designed by Zoom Systems, and are automated kiosks 7 feet tall and 7 feet wide.