“If You Need Anything, Please Let Us Know!”
Its Flagship Store Steps Up the Game to Help Tourists
A beauty retailer dedicated to curating only the trendiest Korean brands. Korea’s most popular offline beauty destination. A cosmetics haven that brings together beauty enthusiasts from around the world and helps them to “All Live Young.” Now, where might one find such a place?
The answer is CJ Olive Young, CJ Group’s lifestyle platform and a leading curator of healthy beauty. The go-to beauty destination for Koreans and overseas tourists alike, CJ Olive Young can be found just about anywhere in the country.
CJ Olive Young’s Myeongdong flagship store, however, stands out from its other locations. Following a revamp last November, the two-story Myeongdong location is now CJ Olive Young’s largest and most tourist-friendly store in the country. With an average of over 5,000 transactions per day as of June 2024, this global flagship store is a testament not only to the success of CJ Olive Young but also to the international allure of K-beauty.
The CJ Olive Young Myeongdong Town Store is nestled in the heart of Seoul’s bustling Myeongdong district, a well-established paradise for both shoppers and tourists. As visitors stroll down the streets, they can easily spot the vibrant green of CJ Olive Young shopping bags. The Myeongdong store is always full of visitors, ranging from overseas tourists excited to learn about the world of K-beauty to office workers stopping by to grab a healthy snack on their lunch break. The location’s friendly staff, always smiling as they sing CJ Olive Young’s iconic phrase – “If you need anything, please let us know” – adds to the welcoming atmosphere.
On June 19, as part of the “2024 Korea Beauty Festival” Month, CJ Olive Young launched its “Store Docent Tour” experience for overseas travelers. The CJ Newsroom was on site to cover the event and to dive into the excitement of the day.
The CJ Olive Young Myeongdong Town Store: Where Beauty Knows No Bounds
The store’s most notable feature is undoubtedly its size. The first floor of the building is dedicated to skincare, ranging from cleansers and moisturizers to dermatological products and Korea’s iconic sheet masks. The second floor is home to cosmetics, body and hair care products, health supplements, snacks, perfumes, men’s products, and a relaxation area and service lounge.
Rapasvisa (29) from Thailand was excited to browse the wide array of facial masks and toner pads in-store. “These products are rare in my home country but are very common in Korea,” she said. “CJ Olive Young curates and recommends trustworthy K-beauty brands, from well-known to lesser-known brands, all in one spot, which broadens shoppers’ selection pools.”
For visitors’ convenience, a floor map and QR codes have been placed on the central stairway connecting the two floors. The Myeongdong location also has more than 20 counters to serve large numbers of customers.
Maria (29) from Spain recalled the first time she spotted the CJ Olive Young Myeongdong flagship store while searching for a cosmetics retailer in the district. “The size of the store really surprised me. I was also mesmerized by the number of POS (points of sale) machines,” she said.
Beauty Without Borders: Ultimate Convenience for Global Shoppers
Another standout feature of the new Myeongdong Town store is its strong appeal to international visitors, who make up 90% of its customer base. The store offers a range of tourist-friendly amenities, including multilingual services in English, Chinese and Japanese. Staff members wear badges so that customers can easily identify the right person to assist them. In addition, product labeling and section displays are offered in both English and Korean. “Everything is explained in English,” said Viola (28) from Poland. “It makes shopping so much easier for non-Korean visitors.”
On the day, K-beauty lovers were able to enjoy CJ Olive Young’s exclusive “Store Docent Tour,” designed to give visitors a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. Participants were given a section-by-section run-through of the store’s bustling layout, amenities and wide range of products.
“At CJ Olive Young, providing customers with a comfortable shopping experience is our utmost priority,” explained the docent during the tour.
The tour culminated with a visit to the service lounge, where shoppers could sign up for CJ Olive Young memberships, receive welcome gifts and tax refunds – even those who had forgotten their passport.
Ahead of the Curl: Bringing the Latest K-Beauty Trends to the World
CJ Olive Young’s Myeongdong Town Store is more than just a place to shop; rather, it’s an outpost for showcasing and introducing the latest K-beauty trends.
The front of the store features dedicated zones dubbed “K-Beauty Now” and “Trending Now” Zones. Updated monthly, these areas are meticulously curated to allow customers to explore and keep up with the latest K-brands and trends.
“CJ Olive Young carries a lot of brands that can’t be found anywhere else,” commented Ros, a beauty influencer from Spain.
What stood out to the CJ Newsroom were the bright, dynamic corners labeled as “Global Hot Issue,” “Find the Latest K-beauty Hype” and more. These spots showcased the most popular items in-store, drawing crowds of tourists eager to bag many of the viral products they took screenshots of on TikTok and Instagram. It wasn’t just the mainstream hits on display. Many popular products that are often difficult to find overseas, such as calf massagers and specialized toner pads, could also be found in-store.
“I think Korea really leads the latest beauty innovations and technologies,” said Viola. “When I shop at CJ Olive Young, I look for products that are trending in Korea. Hair treatments with anti-hair loss elements are some of the examples.”
“I’m interested in anti-aging products,” added Camilla (27) from Brazil. “I heard 25 was the right age to start taking care of your skin to fight against aging.”
While the K-beauty and K-lifestyle industries continue to take the world by storm, CJ Olive Young serves as the ultimate destination for K-cosmetics lovers, and will continue to develop new, convenient ways to offer an unparalleled K-beauty shopping experience to its global customers.
