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Breakthrough Innovation Challenges

Natura

An app combining gamification, AI and Big Data that promotes collaboration whilst providing increased business opportunities to its sales consultants.

Date of publication: 14 February 2017

Natura is Brazil's leading cosmetics manufacturer, and one of the largest certified B Corps in the world.

Based in Cajamar, São Paulo, the company employs around 7000 staff in seven countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and France. Natura's success lies in their direct sales business model, which has allowed them to reach millions of customers through a network of 1.37 million consultants in Brazil, and 0.5 million across their other markets. With each of these relationships, Natura focuses on developing competencies that will enable their sellers to be successful, socially responsible entrepreneurs.

Sustainability has been a guiding principle of the company since it was founded in 1969, and its efforts in sustainable development were recently recognised in UNEP's Champions of the Earth awards. The company is known for giving special attention to its suppliers and the 33 local communities it works with in order to ensure the sustainable supply chain of ingredients. Natura prioritises recycled and recyclable materials in its packaging, analyzing their environmental impact throughout the product's lifecycle. Through the Amazon Program, launched in 2011, Natura seeks to curb deforestation by fostering sustainable standing forest economy in the Amazon region.

Innovation has always been central to achieving Natura’s sustainability vision. Last year, the company spent €61.5 million on product development, launching 164 products and achieving an innovation index (the percentage of revenue from products launched in the last two years) of 64.8%.

The Challenge

While they continue to innovate on their products, Natura is aware that the biggest impact they can have, both for society and their bottom line, lies with their community of 2 million consultants. Their challenge is to connect these consultants by developing a digital mobile platform that can foster new levels of collaboration across its network, globally.

Natura's hypothesis is that by creating a new collaborative ecosystem, and encouraging consultants to socialise, share ideas and support each other, they can learn and improve exponentially.

The Solution

BExCo - Beauty Exchange Community

The BExCO app — Beauty Exchange Community is a digital platform that combines gamification, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to encourage the consultants to collaborate among themselves through the exchanging of products, services and information.

The overwhelming majority of Natura’s sales representatives are female (98%), which gives them a unique position to positively impact gender equality. Their hope is that through the BExCO app women will be able to gain new expertise, educate other women, build an invaluable network of fellow entrepreneurs, and through all of this, become more confident.

The long-term vision for BExCO is to spread beyond Natura’s consultants in Latin America, and become a platform for other companies with a similar business model. There are currently over 100 million people working in the direct-selling market globally, and it is Natura's hope that BExCO could help to establish better transparency and equal conditions for all of them.

Get to know the team:

Eduardo Eiger, Commercial Director
Eduardo Eiger, Commercial Director

Worked for the past 11 years in commercial, innovation and planning roles in Natura in Brazil and México. Responsible for evolving and managing the New Multilevel Commercial Model in México (2012-13). He has led the Commercial team strategies for the last 3 years.

Luciano Alves Abrantes, IT - Head of Digital Innovation
Luciano Alves Abrantes, IT - Head of Digital Innovation

More than 17 years of experience in IT, with 12 years in management positions. Currently working on the development and operation (DevOps) of Web applications, Mobile, Apps, Ecommerce and Retail, as responsible for the digital  transformation and Innovation.

Get in touch:

For more info please contact BIChallenge@unglobalcompact.org

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