At InNature, we prioritise our customers and strive to ensure that we bring them the quality products that they need with joyful service and experience. The narrative below focuses on The Body Shop products, given their material revenue contribution to our Group.
Product safety and quality
Our The Body Shop franchise carries with it an international brand reputation and a connotation of quality which gives customers assurance of the high standard of The Body Shop product offerings.
The Body Shop International Limited (“TBSI”)’s research and development teams are dedicated to creating high quality products. The production methods of The Body Shop products are guided by the Cosmetics Good Manufacturing Practice (ISO 22716) and The Body Shop Contract Manufacturing Quality Charter which sets out strict procedures and guidelines from sourcing of raw materials to the control testing of raw materials, components and finished products. This gives TBSI control and visibility into the quality of The Body Shop products during the sourcing and production cycle. The finished product including packaging must meet adequate quality control, and performance tests before it can be marketed.
We maintain a set of comprehensive quality control procedures that are intended to ensure that the quality and condition of all The Body Shop products sold through various distribution channels are regularly monitored and maintained. In general, we adopt the following approaches and measures for our points-of-sale operations:
- physical inspection on incoming stocks upon arrival in our points-of-sale where stocks are inspected for damage, missing items, faulty packaging or product, inaccurate labelling and use-by date;
- our retail operations manual requires our points-of-sale to perform quarterly audit to identify expired products or products which are close to their use-by date by at least 6 months. Expired products are returned to the DC for disposal, whereas products which are near their use-by date but are still useable will be offered to our staff or donated to non-governmental organisations or charities for distribution;
- we maintain standard product display guidelines to ensure that The Body Shop products are displayed in a consistent manner throughout all points-of-sale; and
- we provide induction programmes for newly joined staff as well as product training to retail staff as and when new products are launched.
Ethical products and values
Our The Body Shop products are 100% vegetarian and are certified as “cruelty-free” by Cruelty Free International. It is entrenched in the company policy of TBSl that none of The Body Shop products are tested on animals. This is in compliance with the Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny Standard. As such, even though all The Body Shop products undergo extensive testing to ensure they are safe and effective, all testing carried out is still Cruelty-Free.
In addition, through its Community Fair Trade programme, TBSI is able to source traceable quality ingredients and gift and accessory products from its suppliers in more than 20 countries which directly benefits thousands of people in marginalised communities around the world. By creating employment opportunities, we help transform their future, allow people to take control of their lives, and provide for their families’ basic needs such as food, shelter education and healthcare.
As an example, TBSI has sustainably sourced its Community Fair Trade moringa seed oil which comes from Asili Natural Oils, our Community Fair Trade partners in Rwanda. Our trade provides a sustainable income for farmers in the dry eastern provinces of Rwanda, where income opportunities are low. These women are paid a premium on top of a fair price to empower these women to achieve an independent income, increased confidence and respect. This premium also helps fund community projects that positively impact the lives of over tens of thousands of people across many villages every year.
This Cruelty-Free policy coupled with the Community Fair Trade programme, high product quality and continuing innovation to meet consumer trends has helped The Body Shop brand garner a strong following among Malaysian consumers.
We believe that as a result of these attributes, the The Body Shop brand has become an ethical icon with strong customer recognition and loyalty globally and a brand that customers associate with quality and high standards. In addition, our social and environmental commitments such as our Forever Against Animal Testing, Kick the Bag Habit, Save Belum Temengor, Bring Back our Bottles, Safe Sex Ends Aids, End Child Marriage and other pro-women activities, resonate with the growing socially conscious consumer base. Our public campaigns are intrinsic to the influence we have on customers who try to make ethical purchase decisions. Through our campaigns, we also engage and enable customers to act in the best interests of people and the environment.
Customer service and experience
We believe that undisputable service and experience is key to the success of our business.
Our retail staff working on the frontlines of our stores undergo comprehensive and holistic training not only to strengthen their product knowledge so that they are equipped with the expertise to adequately serve customers but also to ensure that customers are greeted with enthusiastic and positive attitudes whenever they visit our stores. Such product knowledge includes usage, benefits, ingredients, production, pricing and efficacies pertaining to products sold. Our staff are also trained to handle cashier operations, inventory management and merchandising of products with proficiency enabling them to serve customers quickly but without compromising service quality.
We also believe that communication with our customers is integral and we employ a variety of communication methods, from our websites, electronic mail, e-newsletters, short messaging service, and mobile applications to online advertising and social media to connect with our customers.
Customer service and experience
We believe that undisputable service and experience is key to the success of our business.
Our retail staff working on the frontlines of our stores undergo comprehensive and holistic training not only to strengthen their product knowledge so that they are equipped with the expertise to adequately serve customers but also to ensure that customers are greeted with enthusiastic and positive attitudes whenever they visit our stores. Such product knowledge includes usage, benefits, ingredients, production, pricing and efficacies pertaining to products sold. Our staff are also trained to handle cashier operations, inventory management and merchandising of products with proficiency enabling them to serve customers quickly but without compromising service quality.
We also believe that communication with our customers is integral and we employ a variety of communication methods, from our websites, electronic mail, e-newsletters, short messaging service, and mobile applications to online advertising and social media to connect with our customers.