The name Molton Brown has long been synonymous with British luxury – known for exquisite fragrance compositions, high-quality bath and body care products and a commitment to sustainability.

In today's omnichannel world, it is crucial to consistently offer a special brand experience in order to secure the trust and loyalty of customers in the long term. The challenge is particularly great during peak periods such as Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, when traffic skyrockets and expectations for fast, personalized service are at their highest.

At Molton Brown it quickly became apparent that the legacy systems could not provide the required speed and stability. And since a holistic view was necessary to meet these expectations, the cosmetics manufacturer decided to switch to a modern SAP customer experience (CX) solution.

Modernizing the digital core with SAP Commerce Cloud

By switching from a legacy system to SAP Commerce Cloud Molton Brown received a powerful engine designed for reliability at peak times and continuous innovation. Results quickly became apparent: 100 Percent system availability during peak sales timeseven as volume skyrocketed, with an order coming in every three seconds. This freed up teams to focus on improving the customer experience rather than constantly plugging gaps, and ensured service to customers worldwide.

“Excellence is not a one-time effort; it is about reliability. We must be able to rely on technology to operate to achieve 100 percent efficiency so that the business can succeed, which in turn helps our customers succeed. Technology should enable business success, not hinder it – and SAP has proven that repeatedly.”

Naresh Krishnamurthy, Senior Manager for Business Transformation, Prestige, Kao UK Ltd

This stability is also important as product discovery increasingly begins outside of owned channels – from social platforms to new AI-powered assistants – where consistent, trusted content and availability help the brand remain visible and credible wherever customers choose to interact. SAP is anticipating this change with its innovations in the area of ​​agentic commerce. They ensure that products are always easy to find, reliable and easy to use for both human and AI agents.

With SAP Commerce Cloud and SAP Engagement Cloud (formerly SAP Emarsys), working together, Molton Brown aligns what customers see online with what they experience in store. Product categories, storytelling and navigation are mirrored across channels. Store associates can respond to online browsing signals, and store teams have real-time insights to provide customers with a superior, personalized experience.

The result is a seamless, premium shopping experience that reinforces brand trust and eliminates any friction – exactly what luxury shoppers expect.

Personalization that goes beyond transactions and creates true loyalty

With SAP Engagement Cloud, Molton Brown is able to create tailored customer experiences across all channels. From the initial contact based on the “Mobile First” principle to emails and personal advice in the store – always optimally tailored to changing customer preferences. These programs are rounded off by lovingly selected gifts, personal birthday greetings and communication that focuses on sustainability and thus influences repeat purchase behavior.

What's important is that the team sees each holiday season as a valuable, data-intensive learning cycle. The insights gained each month from performance testing, UX optimizations and campaign adjustments determine the customer experience the following season. These insights help the team continually optimize the customer experience so that it remains consistent, intuitive and best-in-class, even during peak orders. True customer loyalty comes from a consistent experience – and not just sales promotions.

Naresh Krishnamurthy explains, “Black Friday is not just about sales, but rather about brand engagement and building strong customer relationships based on loyalty.”

Ready for the next era of intelligent trading

With a reliable CX core, Molton Brown is now exploring the use of SAP Business AIto anticipate risks in advance of campaigns, optimize decision-making and streamline order fulfillment. This improves the customer experience behind the scenes without compromising on premium standards.

This approach fits perfectly with SAP's comprehensive agentic commerce vision, in which AI systems interpret customer intent and ensure that they find proven products through new channels – another reason why a reliable, “machine-readable” foundation for the customer experience is important.

“Everything we do is focused on one goal: a truly connected customer experience – personal, consistent and effortless across every channel.”

Molton Brown's partnership with SAP CX has impressively demonstrated what is possible in retail – at peak times and in everyday business -: reliable processes, consistent omnichannel experiences and personalization that strengthens customer loyalty. This means the brand can successfully go through its most important phases and is optimally prepared for the future. Because AI will fundamentally change the way people (and digital assistants) discover and buy products.

Thanks to this transformation, Molton Brown can now quickly adapt to changing online purchasing behavior and increasing customer expectations.

To learn how SAP Commerce Cloud can also improve your customer experience, visit sap.com/commerce.