Beauty in the AI of the Beholder: How One Brand Transformed B2B and B2C Engagement

Customers don’t think in terms of channels, and they never have. They browse online, buy in the store, engage via mobile, and expect every interaction to feel connected and consistent. Each interaction, no matter where it takes place, is one part of their overall customer journey with your brand. 

For global brands managing multiple audiences, regions, and business models, delivering that level of consistency is incredibly difficult. Teams operate independently, working with data in siloes while lacking visibility to the end-to-end customer journey. The result is disjointed experiences, missed opportunities, and a high risk of churn. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Let’s look at one example from a global beauty brand with a 100+ year history that’s delivering tailored, personalized experiences across channels.  

A global beauty enterprise faced a familiar challenge: engaging customers across B2B, B2B2C, and direct-to-consumer channels while managing a large portfolio of dozens of brands, including dozens of brands, and operating across more than 100 countries. 

Customers included retailers, independent professionals, and end consumers, each with different expectations and behaviors. These three audiences also moved fluidly between channels and buying models. 

That’s a lot of complexity, especially when trying to scale. 

Before the brand could even think about personalized experiences, the team needed to: 

• Create a unified view of the customer 
• Bridge online and offline engagement 
• Support regional compliance and nuance 

Without a connected data foundation, achieving any of this was nearly impossible.

The turning point came with the shift from fragmented data systems to a connected engagement ecosystem powered by SAP Customer Experience solutions. Instead of treating customers as anonymous records, the company built rich, individual customer profiles, which integrated: 

• Behavioral data  
• Purchase history 
• Engagement signals  

By integrating data from SAP Commerce Cloud and SAP Engagement Cloud into a Customer Data Platform (CDP), the brand gained: 

• A single, unified customer view 
• Real-time behavioral insights 
• Cross-channel orchestration capabilities 

This shift didn’t just improve data visibility—it transformed how teams worked. Marketing, sales, and field teams could now collaborate around a shared understanding of the customer. 

According to a global VP for the brand, “The visibility, access, and transparency of the data we’ve achieved with SAP Engagement Cloud and SAP Commerce Cloud has inspired our marketing team, sales team, and field team. We’ve found that by giving them that level of insight, it entices them to be even more creative. We’ve bridged the data gap, and now our marketing teams really see the impact they can make with it.” 

Delivering omnichannel engagement across lines of business

With a unified data foundation in place, the brand began activating fully orchestrated omnichannel campaigns across: 

• Email 
• SMS 
• Mobile push 
• Web 
• Digital advertising 

Segmentation became more sophisticated, leveraging signals like browsing behavior, purchase frequency, and professional activity. This allowed the brand to meet customers wherever they were with the right message at the right time. 

Together, SAP Commerce Cloud and SAP Engagement Cloud enable the brand to bridge content and commerce, driving retention, upsell, and long-term brand affinity.  

Scaling impact with AI-driven insights

The organization now uses AI to harness its data to help stylists and salons deliver real value-added experiences. By using AI-driven product recommendations together with SAP Commerce Cloud’s account-based pricing, the brand personalizes recommendations across the entire suite of beauty products at an account level.   

By applying AI-driven insights, the company can: 

• Predict customer needs and preferences 
• Deliver personalized product recommendations 
• Optimize timing and channel selection 
• Accelerate learning cycles across campaigns 

AI enabled teams to move faster and act smarter—transforming raw data into meaningful engagement strategies. 

Mobilizing engagement in the moments that matter

The brand encourages pro stylists to join livestream events using SAP Engagement Cloud to power mobile marketing SMS messages to remind registered customers to attend the live sessions.  

The brand also powers mobile app engagement with SAP Engagement Cloud by automating always-on programs to continuously nurture and re-engage customers with mobile push messages and app experiences.    

In the US and UK, meeting on-the-go stylists on their preferred engagement channels led to:  

• 25% of overall engagement channel revenue came from Mobile Push.  
• 65% SMS opt in within the first month of going live with the channel.   

This mobile-first engagement proved especially powerful, reaching customers in real-time moments that mattered most. 

With SAP Engagement Cloud and SAP Commerce Cloud, this beauty brand successfully connected its data across lines of business and achieved a global solution for personalized engagement. The brand can now rapidly and flexibly adapt to different markets and business types with consistent, personalized brand experiences.  

The brand has achieved: 

• A consistent customer experience across touchpoints 
• Scalable personalization across regions and brands 
• Improved engagement and conversion rates 
• Stronger customer relationships built on relevance 

The shift from transactional marketing to relationship-driven engagement infuses every interaction with value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is a unified customer view so important?

A unified view ensures every interaction is informed by the same data. This consistency allows brands to deliver personalized, relevant experiences across all channels, improving engagement and trust. 

How does AI improve marketing performance?

AI analyzes large volumes of data to uncover patterns and predict behavior. This helps marketers optimize campaigns, personalize recommendations, and engage customers more effectively. 

Which channels are most effective for engagement today?

Mobile channels like SMS and push notifications are highly effective because they reach customers instantly. When combined with email and web, they create a powerful omnichannel strategy.

Can personalization work across both B2B and B2C audiences?

Yes. With the right data foundation, brands can tailor messaging to different audience types while maintaining consistency, enabling seamless engagement across business models.