A version of this article appeared in the February 2014 issue of FAST COMPANY magazine.
MINTING JULEP: HOW FORMER STARBUCKS EXEC JANE PARK IS REIMAGINING THE BEAUTY BUSINESS
JANE PARK LEFT HER HIGH-POWERED JOB AT STARBUCKS TO LAUNCH JULEP, WHERE SHE'S USING HER BEST CUSTOMERS TO HELP IMPROVE THE BEAUTY-PRODUCT BUSINESS.
BY TAFFY BRODESSER- AKNER
She is reimagining the entire enterprise of selling beauty merchandise to women, from product design to the transaction experience. During her four years at Starbucks, Jane Park developed a keen understanding of just how crucial the happiness of the customer is at every turn. "It's about thinking through every step of the customer journey," she says.
When she launched Julep, Park's first move was to open a small chain of beauty parlors. These brick-and-mortar outposts-- carefully designed to encourage social interaction via communal spaces with movable furniture--function as mini labs in which to test products on actual customers. Park trained facialists and vernisseurs (a term that is to manicurist as barista is to coffee pourer) to listen closely to reactions and report back. Julep uses that info to tweak details such as colors, packaging, and scents.
"FEEDBACK CAN BE BRUTALLY HONEST; ONLY ABOUT A THIRD OF THE CONCEPTS JULEP INITIATES MAKE IT TO MARKET. "THE IDEA OF FAILING FAST HAS BEEN PART OF OUR DNA," SAYS PARK.
After Julep launched its own e-commerce site in December 2011, it expanded the test- lab concept into the digital sphere. The company now has a core group of about 5,000 customers, known as the Idea Lab, who've been culled from interactions over social media and website feedback. Mavens, as members of the lab are called, get weekly emails with questions both broad ("What is the thing you like least about your mascara?") and narrow ("Which of the following scents would you want your body milk to smell