CJ Olive Young is offering a personal consultation service and docent-led tours for foreign customers at a major branch to cater to their growing interest in K-beauty.

The company will pilot the “Olive Young Personal Shopper” service until late March at the Olive Young Gangnam Town branch, one of the retailer’s key locations near Gangnam Station, the retailer said in a press release on Monday.

The service, available in four languages — Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese — features personalized consultations on beauty products, as well as a guided tour of the store by category.

Participants will receive a pouch with a welcome kit and, depending on their purchase amount, may also receive additional gifts and a free delivery service.

To further promote the popularity of K-beauty brands among foreign travelers, the company also plans to host a K-beauty docent program at international events this year.

This follows the success of a program launched last year at the Korea Tourism Organization’s 2024 Korea Beauty Festival, which featured 380 companies from the tourism, beauty and medical industries, including Olive Young.

These initiatives are aimed at enhancing the offline shopping experience for foreign customers, in line with the increasing demand for K-beauty products from foreign travelers, the company said.

Olive Young is also collaborating with global travel agencies and hotel chains to further extend its reach.

In partnership with the global travel platform Trip.com, the retailer is offering special Olive Young packages until June. Foreign tourists who purchase these packages will receive an Olive Young discount coupon booklet upon checking in at participating accommodations.

The Courtyard Seoul Namdaemun hotel is running a “Seoul Beauty Travel Package” that includes an Olive Young gift card, available until March 31.

Olive Young will bridge smaller Korean beauty brands and global audiences.

As part of its strategies, the company is currently focusing on branches with a high volume of foreign customers and significant sales. At these selected locations, the retailer has implemented several foreigner-friendly measures, including assigning staff fluent in foreign languages and using electronic tags to display product information in both English and Korean.

With more than 1,400 stores nationwide, 80 percent of Olive Young's products are from mid-sized Korean brands.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]