AS Watson e-commerce sales surged 47 per cent globally last year.

“We are not only seeing high online sales growth, but also seeing increased footfall in our stores combined with a high annual spend from our loyalty-card customers who shop with us both offline and online,” says Malnia Ngai, COO of the healthy and beauty retailer.

The Hong Kong-headquartered company started accelerating its digital and CRM strategy with an initial investment of US$60 million in May 2014. This investment was channelled into attracting digital talent to its in-house studio eLab, which rolls out mobile apps, integrates social into the total customer experience, improves content, and expands click-and-collect in most countries where the company has a presence.

Digital now plays a vital part supporting ASW’s brick-and-mortar business model, which spans more than 13,300 stores in 25 markets.

Meanwhile, loyalty members have grown to 120 million.