Clarins Doubles Conversions With In-Person Tech Pilots
Beauty brand Clarins achieved a 70% conversion rate and doubled basket sizes by blending AI tools with in-store staff for a tech pilot. The company credited its success to "face-to-face listening," where sales teams conducted hundreds of in-person micro-interviews. The pilot demonstrates how even legacy brands can benefit from scrappy, direct user feedback methods.
- YC Group Partner Gustaf Alströmer advises founders to manually recruit their first 10 customers by doing things that do not scale, such as direct outbound sales, phone calls, and emails. He suggests creating a list of potential customers in a spreadsheet and then methodically reaching out. - When conducting cold outreach, personalize your message and focus on understanding the customer's challenges before trying to sell your product. YC Group Partner Aaron Epstein recommends that in the early days, "you are the brand," and the effort you put into personalization will stand out. - To find users before you have a product, engage in online communities where your target audience already exists, such as Reddit, Slack groups, or industry-specific forums. The goal is to genuinely help people and build recognition by commenting on posts and sharing insights before mentioning your product. - Structure your search for early customers in concentric circles: start with your inner circle of direct relationships, then move to friends of friends and professional networks, and finally expand to scalable acquisition channels. - For early-stage B2B startups, warm intros are the most effective way to secure high-quality design partners. Create a spreadsheet of potential customers and then systematically go through your network of friends, colleagues, and investors to find connections. - YC CEO Garry Tan emphasizes acting "small" and human in early interactions. He suggests that instead of trying to look like a large corporation, founders should leverage the advantage of being a real, accessible person who can directly address customer needs. - Don't offer your product for free indefinitely. YC partner Ankit Gupta states that charging money from the start is crucial because paying customers provide sharper, more valuable feedback than free users. - To build a consistent pipeline of discovery conversations, block off a set amount of time each week specifically for talking to users. Even two hours a week can provide a steady stream of feedback to validate ideas and identify customer pain points.
