4 Areas Brands Need to Focus On Now

Our Thoughts

22/06/2020 by The Red Tree

“The beauty industry is tough darling, but so are you” … a recent adaptation of a well known saying summarises the future of beauty. We know it is resilient, we know it will survive and we know the lipstick or so called “mask” effect of 2020 (small makeup items used to accentuate the lips or now eyes if everyone wearing masks) drives consumer happiness and thus the need to purchase.

But how do you stick your head above the rest and be the standout brand of the future?

Here are 4 areas for brands to focus on during these tough times:

Define your role and the value you will add in the beauty market.

Make sure you have a strong product line up, can articulate your benefits and what you stand for in beauty. These will all help define your success.

There is always a role for new brands. Fragmentation in beauty is what has been driving the market, Covid has amplified and sped up the process. There is more room for new brands with the genuine ability to connect with consumers given their new needs across segments and products.

Make it easy to purchase.

Whatever your route to market, where you are brought must be easy for consumers to use. Clear navigation, pages loading quickly (if a page takes more than 3 seconds 40% consumers will abandon the brand). Remember Convenience = Cost. Consumers now rate ease of use as important as a purchase consideration as the cost they would pay for a product.

Create community and tribes.

Think about how you use social to create and engage. On average people spend 8 seconds on Instagram vs 15 minutes on Pinterest. Tik Tok gives a place to connect with consumers through humour and show your real tone of voice and creativity. Use your communities to drive endorsements. Word of mouth is so important: 70% of consumers regard rating and reviews as the key reason for purchase.

Experience is the new loyalty.

Be consistent on your messaging and who you are. Show the customer love, don’t revert to discounting but focus on emotional brand building. Covid has created a new need to connect: We want local personalised experiences for me. 46% of consumers would now purchase a brand or product just to be part of its community and the experiences that brings. Being authentic is bringing the tough and learning to survive.

Cat Hadfield, is an Independent Brand Consultant having worked for two of the largest beauty companies across the last 20 years.

The Red Tree is the UK’s leading international beauty brand consultancy and a powerhouse of ideas, insight and inspiration. For an informal discussion on how we might help you, please contact us.