Retail Operations
14 August 2019
The beauty sector is undergoing a massive transformation. The global beauty industry is now worth over $500 billion and, in the UK, sales of make-up alone are nudging £1 billion for the first time ever. And it’s not just the big names that are benefiting. Across the globe we’re seeing the balance of power shift from the beauty powerhouses to independent, disruptive brands like Glossier, Milk and Fenty Beauty.
And spending habits are changing too.
We’re seeing the younger generation spending more and more money on beauty. In a recent study of US teens, 38% said they are spending more on skincare year-on-year — an all-time high and 76% of teen girls learn about beauty brands via online influencers.
The minis (sample) market grew by 13 per cent to a record $1.2 billion in US sales in 2018. And 2018 saw beauty advent calendars take the UK by storm when Liberty sold 20,000 in one week, making the calendars its most successful product.
Buzzy, web-based brands like Glossier and The Ordinary are tapping into e-commerce and social media to compete with the beauty giants, and are even going clicks to bricks, with cutting edge flagships in desirable locations.
And when it comes to retail operations, the beauty industry has it’s own unique set of challenges. With multiple store formats, from standalone, concessions, counters and pop ups, innovative products, and highly trained retail professionals – it’s no wonder that managing this kind of store estate is a challenge.
Physical retail is instrumental to the beauty industry. While it is becoming more popular to pre-order cosmetics online, like kylie Jenner’s lip kits, or nab a discount code from your favourite influencer, the majority of consumers still like to visit a location to try products before purchase.
And so, it makes sense that the beauty industry is one of the most innovative retail sectors when it comes to in-store design.
Aesops 100 sq m minimalist, Norwegian designed Sloane Square store or Tom Ford’s high tech Covent Garden flagship, with makeup tutorial mirrors, virtual lipstick trialling and interactive perfume counter are fantastic examples of retailers pushing the boundaries of experiential retail.
And with such high-quality store concepts, it’s important that you know your stores are executing brilliantly every day. But with multiple locations and store formats ranging from standalone, pop up and department store concessions, it can be hard to have this type of visibility.
But it doesn’t have to be difficult.
With a mobile task management solution, it’s possible for teams to receive clear and structured guidelines for promotions and product launches. Store teams can action them, take photographs of their updated displays and upload the photos straight from their mobile device. Head office teams can then provide fast feedback to stores, via the app – to dramatically reduce time to compliance. And, of course, make sure all your stores are executing perfectly.
Empower Your staff to give the best possible service
Retail professionals need to have great communication skills, an eye for detail and the ability to think fast and adapt to any situation on the busy shop floor.
They also need great product knowledge. And beauty associates have particularly difficult jobs. These individuals often double as skincare specialists or makeup artists – so they need to be product AND product application experts.
They are your brand ambassadors. So you need to communicate with them clearly, keep them engaged with your products so that they can focus on being the face of your brand.
And being so busy, they don’t need spend their trawling through endless email and whatsapp messages to find the information that’s relevant to them.
As a beauty retailer, you need a tool that allows you to extract the tasks relevant to store teams, and for stores to be able to access all this information in one place. They can tick tasks off when they are complete, and Head Office can monitor compliance. Making the solution mobile means that store teams can use tablets on the shop floor, so even if it’s peak trading times, and an urgent communication gets sent through, there is no need for them to venture to a back office, they can simply access on their POS or mobile device.
Are you a beauty retailer and looking to invest in a Task Management system? Request a personalised demo here ?
