BW Confidential - Issue #12 - November/December 2012 - 85

Selling beauty online

Digital

Wowing with the web
Beauty players need to take a more innovative approach to online selling. We look at creative strategies for making a sale on the web
by Naomi Marcoulet

ho would not want to shop on the internet? It boasts convenience and choice and empowers the consumer who can research and find deals like never before. Furthermore, increasingly sophisticated content with lively graphics and entertaining features like how-to videos and personalized consultations, make online shopping a compelling destination. In the US, e-commerce sales topped $200bn in 2011 and the sector is expected to represent 9% of total retail sales by 2016, up 62% on 2011, according to global research and advisory firm Forrester Research. And beauty is one of the fastest growing online categories. “One of the key drivers for online shopping is choice [and for the brands] selling online is a great way to make sure the huge assortments of colors and styles are available,” says Forrester Research principal analyst ebusiness and channel strategy professionals Martin Gill. Although most beauty purchases are still in brick-and-mortar, the internet and mobile tools are becoming critical to sales. Forrester estimates that by 2016 more than half of the dollars spent in US retail will be influenced by the web. This underlines the importance of e-commerce in not just selling beauty, but in enhancing the consumer’s experience with the brand. Creating web appeal One of the main obstacles to selling beauty online is not being able to touch or test the product, but there are ways of getting around this. “This is where innovation makes sense and where the choice of certain tools, including a device, can make a difference,” comments Rouge Interactif account director Carine Legros. Social networking beauty site Bloom.com is tackling this problem from a new angle with a new concept called “visual selling”. This sees a strong focus on the looks as opposed to products. “We’re moving to more end-result type of visual selling approach instead of

products results lists and product pictures, and just selling bottles,” explains Bloom.com founder and ceo Julie Mahloch (see box, p.86). Experts say that one way of boosting online sales and getting over hurdles of testing is to offer a personalized approach.“Beauty is

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The features that clients are most responding to include our highly customized navigation and search, shopping shortcuts, in-store product lookup and editorial content that helps clients learn more about beauty

update to its digital efforts in 12 years. This year Sephora revamped its website to integrate the latest digital tools. It has more targeted searches, faster check-out with half the clicks, plus access to a string of services including personalized advice. “We are committed to making our clients’ shopping experience with us as smart and fast as possible, as well as offering her unparalleled access to advice, how-tos, brand founders and expert access,” says Sephora Direct senior vp Julie Bornstein. She adds: “The features that clients are most responding to include our highly customized navigation and search, shopping shortcuts, in-store product lookup and editorial content that helps clients learn more about beauty.” Cultivating curation One way of offering a tailored approach has been through curated websites, which see experts and celebrities recommend products. In a way, these types of sites have an advantage over retail stores, which often try to cram as many products as possible into each square foot of space—leading to an offer that turns off or confuses the consumer. UK-based website Cult Beauty’s model cherry picks the best products rather than sell full beauty lines. It features items chosen by its 48 experts, like perfumer Roja Dove or hair stylist Charles Worthington. n n n
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Sephora Direct senior vp Julie Bornstein

incredibly personal; it’s vital that brands don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach and that they tailor their content to different audiences,” says Gill. The fully customized approach is where Sephora comes into its own. The LVMH-owned retailer has just ushered in the most important

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November-December 2012 - N°12 - BW Confidential

credit: istock

http://www.Bloom.com http://www.Bloom.com

BW Confidential - Issue #12 - November/December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #12 - November/December 2012