Health & Beauty Archives | Bazaarvoice Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:55:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 L’Occitane https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/loccitane/ Fri, 24 Nov 2023 15:24:08 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=48205 Absolution https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/absolution/ Thu, 26 Oct 2023 14:40:37 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=47129 The Body Shop https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/the-body-shop/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:33:12 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=46254 The top health and beauty trends driving purchases https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/the-top-health-and-beauty-trends-driving-purchases/ Wed, 30 Aug 2023 10:59:00 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?p=45085 Trends come in go in the health and beauty industry arguably quicker than any other industry.

Shoppers spend several hours a day browsing digital content, and much of that time involves seeking information about what’s new in beauty and skincare. For a while now, social media has been the go-to spot to learn about the latest looks from influencers, watch video tutorials, share inspirational posts with your friends, and buy beauty products on the spot.

As a result, the health and beauty market is surging. In 2022, consumers spent $430 million on skincare, fragrance, makeup, and haircare, and that’s expected to grow to $580 million by 2027, according to McKinsey & Co.

Health and beauty trends research results

To learn more about how shoppers across generations are discovering new beauty products and choosing what to buy, we surveyed just under 2,300 members of the Influenster community. Here’s what we found. 

1. Different platforms mean more to different generations 

Social media is increasingly a destination for health and beauty trends, education, and credibility — but not just from the digitally native generations. As social media natives, Gen Z has obviously been a priority for many brands.

But our survey also revealed some important trends regarding how other generations use social media. Specifically, different generations embrace different social platforms for beauty inspiration and education. For beauty inspiration, the platform each age group uses most is:

  • Gen Z: TikTok (86%)
  • Millennials: Instagram (82%)
  • Gen X: Instagram (75%)
  • Baby boomers: YouTube (48%)

It’s hardly surprising that the short-form video crowd (Gen Z) prefer to use TikTok, but what is surprising is that boomers, traditionally the “Facebook generation,” are using YouTube.

For beauty education, Gen Z prefers TikTok (83%). Instagram is the go-to for millennials (69%) and Gen X (61%), while baby boomers opt for YouTube (57%). 

2. Everyday social media users and creators gain credibility

Social media users seeking the latest health and beauty trends on social media put more stock in the credibility of who’s sharing the information. In general, the younger generations consider dermatologists to be the most credible, while boomers and Gen X would say family and friends. However, when we ask who is the most credible on social for skincare & makeup products, all four generations chose influencers..

They give me their honest opinion

Digging a little deeper, we found that 29% of people said everyday social media users influenced them the most, more than brands (27%) and subject matter experts (26%). Social media influencers and celebrities were the least influential. 

“They give me their honest opinion” is the main reason consumers are so receptive to influencers. And, 64% want brands to partner with everyday social media users. More than a third of respondents say their trust in everyday social media users is growing. 

Nearly 40% of survey respondents would like to build a career or side hustle as a content creator. But, 41% haven’t done it yet because they “don’t know where to start.”

Influencers provide product inspiration and show items being used in real life, offering a level of authenticity that helps drive purchases. 65% of consumers have purchased a product based on an everyday social media user’s recommendation. 38% are purchasing more products based on recommendations from everyday social users now than in the past. 

3. Social shopping keeps growing

A trend we’ve noticed beyond health and beauty: consumers aren’t just using social media for information and entertainment anymore. More are engaging in social commerce — that is actually buying products directly from social platforms. Over 30% of consumers of all generations say they’re shopping for beauty products more on social media platforms than in stores these days.   

Of the shoppers who’ve purchased a beauty product on social media, TikTok is the top choice for Gen Z (39%), and Instagram is where millennials (46%) and Gen Z (41%) mostly purchase. Baby boomers (38%) choose Facebook.

This is further supported by a separate Bazaarvoice research peak, looking at what drives purchasing decisions across a number of different industries. When it came to beauty products, the vast majority of consumers said they’ve shopped on social.

health and beauty trends
Health and beauty shopping trend. Source: Driving sales in beauty, beverages, and everything in between

With the growing interest in social commerce, brands have a unique opportunity to provide customer experiences that are memorable. When shopping on social media, consumers prefer images and content from their peers, over professional photographs and marketing copy.

Photos showing the product packaging with the product or brand’s name clearly displayed and photos showing products being used are what shoppers like seeing the most. 

4. Consumers gravitate toward the ‘cleanical’ health and beauty trend

“Cleanical” beauty, which combines clean ingredients, scientific innovation, and proven results, has been all the rage lately. Consumers (of all ages) expect beauty brands to be transparent about product ingredients and performance. It’s your job to be a credible source.

One survey respondent said, “A beauty brand can gain my loyalty by being transparent about their ingredients. Making the switch to cleaner and natural ingredients is what will continue to keep me as a loyal customer.”

Over half of Gen Z (56%), millennial (53%), and Gen X (58%) consumers, and 61% of baby boomers are aware of the “cleanical” skincare trend. And over 40% of Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X shoppers and 50% of baby boomers know which ingredients are beneficial versus harmful for your skin type. 

5. Reviews are the primary source for product research 

We already know from separate research that almost all shoppers research products before purchasing them on social media. But our Influenster survey revealed that people from all generations specifically visit a brand’s website to read reviews before buying something on social media. 

health and beauty trends

“The review includes relevant attributes based on the product (i.e., scent description for a perfume)” is the most important thing to consumers when they’re reading reviews. And, all survey respondents have purchased a product based on a recommendation from a fellow shopper that they saw online. 

Having detailed reviews is the single most important factor for consumers of all generations when researching a beauty purchase online.  

As one survey respondent noted, “A beauty brand can produce good quality, long-lasting products. These products will have good-quality ingredients, great customer reviews, good star ratings, and customer repurchases. I know I love a product when I will repurchase it many times.” 

The constant trend in health and beauty: UGC

Consumers are buying makeup, skincare, and other beauty products more than ever. Our survey revealed how social media continues to wield power over these purchasing decisions when it comes to finding inspiration, conducting research, and actually buying things.

It also shows how different generations are using social platforms, which is crucial for brands as they evolve their social strategies. But at the heart of these trends, whether it’s social shopping or ratings and reviews, is user-generated content (UGC).

Shoppers want to see authentic UGC about your brand from everyday people and content creators. Featuring this content across your social media, product pages, and beyond will inspire purchasing decisions and drive sales for your products.

Bazaarvoice has a full suite of solutions for collecting (and displaying) UGC — see which one works best for your brand here.

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MAM UK https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/mam-uk/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 19:50:56 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=44294 Iconic London https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/iconic-london/ Fri, 28 Apr 2023 16:17:02 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=41729 Fresh https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/fresh/ Thu, 06 Apr 2023 22:08:26 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=38344 Hairhouse https://www.bazaarvoice.com/success-stories/hairhouse/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 20:25:17 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?post_type=success-stories&p=34598 Fashion influencer marketing: How to stay au courant https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/fashion-influencer-marketing/ Mon, 13 Jun 2022 10:10:00 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?p=29039 Influencer marketing has swept the fashion industry. The recent Netflix hit Emily in Paris makes light of this fact, albeit in a way that doesn’t quite tackle how influencer marketing really works in the fashion industry.

But influencer marketing is much more than that show suggests. Influencer content has replaced the billboards and two-page magazine spreads of the past as the central marketing tactic for many brands. Fashion influencer marketing can make or break a brand in the social media age we live in.

Here we’ll take a look at the innovative influencer tactics that fashion brands of all sizes are using today to grow their customer base, foster trust, and sell their products.

Chapters:

  1. What is fashion influencer marketing?
  2. Why fashion influencer marketing matters
  3. How to create your fashion influencer marketing strategy
  4. How 16 brands run fashion influencer marketing campaigns
  5. Find your influencers

What is fashion influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a type of marketing that promotes a brand or product using endorsements and product placements in exchange for payment. Usually, influencer marketing takes place on social media platforms. It’s how unknown brands become huge and compete with — or even eclipse — established giants like Nike and Victoria’s Secret.

It’s especially prevalent for the beauty and apparel industries. We recently surveyed over 14,000 global consumers to find out how they’re shopping on social. For every industry (apart from food and beverage), consumers are shopping more on social media than in-store. But for beauty and apparel, the homes of fashion influencers, social media is overwhelmingly the favorite.

Source: Bazaarvoice social shopping survey

This is how influencers like Christian Garcia have dominated the fashion market through social media, where he has 600,000+ followers on Instagram. His followers use his account as a place to keep up with fashion and beauty brands, and he’s even able to boast appearances from celebrities like Megan Trainor and Bhad Bhabie. A young rap artist, for those unfamiliar. 

Why fashion influencer marketing matters

In fashion, influencer marketing is particularly vital to brand awareness, conversions, and greater profits. It makes up 86% of the total earned media value of the top 30 fashion brands. 

Today, influencers who were once in a paid-post relationship with their brand have now become product collaborators.

This past year, Forbes states digital marketing strategists determined that “micro” accounts — or small influencer accounts — were just as profitable for fashion as macro accounts. That’s because the smaller accounts connect more deeply on a personal level with their followers. This means their interactions will be more impactful since the influencers are seen more as popular peers.

Image source: Bazaarvoice influencer strategy webinar

The numbers speak for themselves. In 2021, the market size of global influencer marketing was valued at a jaw-dropping $13.8 billion (more than double what it was in 2019). And according to Globe Newswire, it could reach $9.2 billion by 2026.

This fast growth is spurred by millennials’ and Gen Z’s heavy reliance on fashion influencers. Half of social media users between the ages of 16 and 34 report following fashion influencers, which is more than any other industry.

Fast fashion brand Boohoo has seen excellent results by investing in influencer marketing. The company pays celebrities to promote its products through Instagram to an audience of 16- to 24-year-old fans. As a result, its profits doubled.

Benefits of using influencers

Influencer marketing benefits brands in a number of ways.

  • Builds trust with your audience especially Gen Z and millennials.
  • Grows revenue because customers are more willing to buy from people they trust.
  • Increases brand awareness and engagement. Influencers are doing the heavy lifting in terms of creating content and cultivating a community.
  • Helps you glean customer insights, like customer sentiment.
  • Flattens the sales funnel. Customers are discovering brands and buying products as a direct result of influencers.
  • Helps you reach new demographics. Micro- and nano-influencers can introduce your brand to niche audiences.
  • Helps luxury brands become more approachable with authentic content created and shared by someone your audience already knows and likes.
  • Generates a new need for products. Fans and followers are interested in what influencers like, so they may consider a product that they never previously wanted.
  • Enables you to quickly connect with customers when trends change, like the post-pandemic loose-fit jeans below.
Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: TikTok

How to create your fashion influencer marketing strategy

Before beginning your search for a fashion influencer, you’ll need to come up with a strategy.

Determine your campaign objectives

You’ll need to decide exactly what you want your campaign results to look like. This could mean driving brand awareness, discovering/appealing to a new audience, driving engagement, or gleaning customer insights. You will also want these to be measurable. One of the benefits of marketing through social media is that the measurements will always be at your fingertips.

Choose the channel

Where is your target audience hanging out? You’ll want to choose an influencer who has a large, engaged audience on that channel. This may involve doing some research to determine what medium your audience uses. You will need to gather demographic information about your audience, such as age, gender, race, location, and more, to help you know what social media channel they are using.

Decide how you want influencers to promote your brand

Post pictures, videos, reels, and live events on social channels. Highlight the brand by tagging it or using branded hashtags, wearing the brand in a video or at a class, mentioning it on a podcast, or repurposing influencer content on owned channels like your website and emails. Each of these methods can have different benefits. For example, posting pictures and videos can hit a wider audience over a longer period of time, while live events can be very personal and create a strong connection with your audience.

How 16 brands run stellar fashion influencer marketing campaigns

16 brands might seem excessive. Admittedly there’s many examples to follow. But one or two isn’t enough. You need to take in enough visuals to paint the overall picture of what other brands are doing. You need to see options so you can narrow down the type of influencer you want in your strategy. Because the right influencers are integral to successful fashion brands.

Here’s our favourite examples of fashion influencer marketing tactics to try for your own brand.

Feature influencer content in email marketing

Social media is the obvious choice, but many fashion brands now feature influencer content in their email marketing campaign. Do it like DWS and include fun design elements or text overlays.

Fashion influencer marketing

Don’t forget to credit the influencer with their social handles.

Dedicate a landing page to influencer picks

Publish influencer content on a dedicated page of your website. Like Loft, you can include influencer picks and preferences and a link in your main navigation.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Loft

Using images of influencers on a “style assist” page can inspire your audience with new style ideas and purchasing suggestions.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Loft

This will help you fill in content and make your brand seem more authentic. Plus, online customers will feel like they are receiving real stylist help even though they aren’t meeting someone in real life.

Advertise on influencer-led podcasts

Advertising on influencer-led podcasts helps brands reach a younger audience that dislikes traditional ads. Conair has been advertised on Off the Vine, led by former Bachelorette and Bachelor contestant Kaitlyn Bristowe.

Image source: Instagram

The podcast has 195k followers on Instagram, and Bristowe herself has 2M followers, so having her read the ad carries the potential to reach and influence a massive audience.

Make it easy for influencers to sign up

Once you’ve identified a fashion influencer marketing strategy, you need to find influencers that align closely with your brand and values. One easy way to do this is to include a straightforward signup box for ambassadors to join the influencer program. For example, Conair includes a link to its signup box in the footer of its website.

Image source: Conair

Glow Recipe does something similar with its Glow Pro Program. It’s a partnership between the brand and professional makeup artists and estheticians. Glow Pro gives these professionals product discounts and early access to new products, in addition to featuring their work on the brand’s social channels.

Discover everyday influencers

You should encourage everyday users to drive brand engagement through user-generated content (UGC). When your fans want to find you or share their UGC, make it very simple to do so by posting your branded hashtags in your bio, as Conair does.

Image source: Instagram

Branded hashtags carry an added bonus: your influencers will all send your followers to the same location.

Partner with celebrity influencers

Conair also partners with famous influencers to create co-branded products and campaigns like this Wild Primrose one with influencer @sazan and the @scunci and @walmart brands.

Image source: Instagram

The brand went on to partner with singer/songwriter @ashleysuppa, whose band @plushrocks has 29.6k followers on Instagram.

Image source: Instagram

Partnering with micro-influencers like this can help brands connect with new, niche audiences.

Create compilation videos on TikTok

Once you’ve collected some compelling UGC, you can compound the influence of a handful of users by creating a compilation video on TikTok. For example, Conair combines different user-generated videos and review posts into one ad.

Image source: TikTok

To extend your reach even more and have fun with a slightly different tone, create an alter ego TikTok account like @conairman that comments on the regular brand posts.

There’s arguably no better platform for fashion influencer marketing than IG. If you feature influencers on your home page, link their image to your product page where shoppers can purchase what the influencer was wearing, as Nothing New does.

Image source: Nothing New

This approach also encourages new social shares when you suggest a branded hashtag.

The Marks and Spencer brand also created a strong Instagram presence by posting trending styles on its main website, then tagging the influencers who originally styled and posted the image.

Image source: M&S

Invite influencers to write guest blogs

Besides visual content, influencers can also assist your brand in writing guest posts for your blog. For example, Primary (a children’s apparel brand) posted a blog written by guest contributor Amelia about the ways families can celebrate Earth Day.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Primary

This type of guest post works well because the influencer has an engaged, niche audience of 7.7K followers on her Instagram, @mtnmamatales, that is interested in her content and will flock to Primary’s website. She also offers engagement via her Outdoor Family Chat Facebook group, camping books, camping courses, as well as her own blog, Tales of a Mountain Mama.

Tag an expert

Below, Sephora has taged Sephora Collection National Artist @helenkphillips. In the same post, it features (and tags) different branded products like @fentybeauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image Source: Instagram

Tagging experts and complementary brands helps to increase your own brand awareness and authority.

Create co-branded products with a celebrity

Partnering with celebrities that fit your brand’s values and target audience is always a strong strategy. They may endorse your brand and wear your products publicly, where they’ll be noticed and mentioned in the media.

Celebrities may even help you create a new co-branded product, like Nike’s co-branded sneaker with LeBron James and Kylian Mbappé. The brand posted and tagged the celebrities on social media with videos of kids playing sports while wearing the shoes.

Image source: Instagram

Additionally, Tiffany & Co. partnered with K-pop star Roseanne Park, letting her redesign some of its fashion lines to create and model her own #TiffanyHardWear line.

Image source: LinkedIn

Tiffany & Co. tagged other influencers and creators on Instagram to showcase the HardWear designs, such as this post where it tagged the jewelry designer Elsa Peretti.

Image source: Instagram

The post even includes a link to the designer’s official shop, and both include a branded hashtag to encourage more UGC.

Use TikTok transitions

TikTok’s transitions make it easy to showcase multiple items quickly, and it’s a tactic that’s perfectly suited for fashion influencers. For example, influencer Elizabeth Pehota posted this TikTok to showcase Elie Tahari tops.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: TikTok

Create TikTok challenges

Brands can also take advantage of popular TikTok challenges to discover new audiences and seem more approachable. Videos related to the #chanelchallenge have earned over 5.8 billion views. In it, creators like @ingyinkhine55 choose seemingly random and/or secondhand pieces of clothing to put together an outfit.

Image source: TikTok

The end of the video shows snapshots of a photoshoot where the creator models the outfit like a Chanel model. Similar challenges exist for other luxury fashion brands like Dior and Gucci.

Assemble an all-star cast for outfits

Lesser-known brands can gain great exposure from influencers who pair pieces from multiple brands, like this post from @janetgunngratefulgardenia.

Image source: Instagram

In the post, she tags each item’s brand like @elietahari and includes popular hashtags like #ootdinspiration (meaning “outfit of the day” inspiration), which inspire fashion aficionados and help them discover brands.

Curate a best-seller box

Collaborate with other brands to create a best-seller collection. To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Glow Recipe partnered with eight other AAPI-founded beauty brands to create a curated best-seller box and shared its unboxing on social media.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: TikTok

The strategy created an opportunity for each brand’s audience to discover other brands. It was also an effective way to show solidarity with other founders and the AAPI community — for each box purchased, Glow Recipe donates $10 to organizations that support the AAPI community.

Pursue media mentions with influencer content

You probably already know that influencers mention brands on TikTok and Instagram. But they can also give brands some extra social proof by mentioning them in articles they write for magazines like Insider.

Image source: Insider

In the above example, writer and aesthetician Emma Freece recommends 10 different beauty products, including brands like Glow Recipe, which is featured in the main image. Freece also posts how-to videos, hauls, reviews, and unboxing videos on TikTok, where she has 78.3K followers.

Answer common questions

Influencers can offer authentic and trustworthy responses to common customer questions about a product or style. For example, Sephora launched #SephoraSquad in 2019 through the paid ambassador marketing platform Fohr. One of the Squad members, @rochellemoncheri, posts Stories, Highlights, and Reels on IG, answering common questions like “How do I avoid flakey foundation?”

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Instagram

The above post earned over 3k likes. This is a natural way for influencers and brand ambassadors to provide value for current and prospective customers while also creating engaging content for the brand.

Focus on shared values

Besides generating how-to content and tips, successful influencer programs like Vuori’s spread a brand’s purpose through a focus on shared values like sustainability and community. Its partner athletes and fitness enthusiasts share what they like about Vuori.

Image sources: Instagram

Additionally, the brand features community leaders who share their values of creating positive change, like ICU nurse @adleyparriott.

Image source: Instagram

Due to authentic marketing tactics like this, Vuori is competing with big names like Nike and lululemon.

Inspire everyday users

Thanks to the oversaturated ad space, everyday users crave authenticity. One way to appeal to them is by inspiring them with inclusive messaging, as Savage x Fenty has done.

Image source: Instagram

The brand’s body-positive messaging clearly resonates with and inspires everyday users. In fact, its TikTok haul videos have earned 334.1M views.

The brand is closing in on becoming the market leader in women’s lingerie, thanks in large part to inspiring UGC as well as paid partnerships like the one above.

Lean on famous influencers for rebrands

If your brand needs an overhaul due to changing trends or media backlash, lean into fashion influencers to recast your brand in a positive light and take your marketing in a new direction.

Victoria’s Secret missed the boat on body positivity, and multiple TikTok videos portrayed the brand negatively. To recover, VS partnered with influencers like Megan Rapinoe, Eileen Gu, and Paloma Elsesser to rebrand itself as more body positive and inclusive.

Now users are posting UGC on Instagram, modeling products in more inclusive shapes and sizes.

Image source: Instagram

The rebrand seems to be working. Now VS is focused on comfort with a new Love Cloud Collection.

Embrace augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) isn’t just for serious gamers — now it’s infiltrating the fashion world. American Eagle partnered with @dressx to celebrate Earth month with digital jeans. In the campaign, everyday users were encouraged to purchase digital jeans and use an AR app to try them on — including a water superpower. Then the users received their photos via email so they could share them on social media.

Fashion influencer marketing
Image source: Instagram

This technique engages tech fans and sustainability-minded users while helping them create interesting social media content.

Find your fashion marketing influencers

Finding your influencers is essential to reaching your brand’s market. So you need to know how to reach out to them. These influencers can engage current fans and expose your brand to new audiences. Now that you know the benefits of fashion influencer marketing, reach out to everyday users who are already posting UGC. Or partner with an agency or platform that handles this.

If you don’t want to spend time searching or don’t know which influencer directory is the best one, start with ours. BV’s Sampling program puts your products into the hands of an influencer with an engaged audience. In exchange, you receive authentic UGC for use across multiple channels. What are you waiting for?


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Top 5 beauty trends for 2021 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/top-5-beauty-trends-2021/ https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/top-5-beauty-trends-2021/#respond Mon, 01 Nov 2021 12:33:37 +0000 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/?p=19783 Beauty trends have evolved majorly over time. The ‘50s were all about bold eyes and red lips. The ‘70s saw the emergence of minimal makeup with shimmery eyes. The ‘10s were dominated by smokey eyes, heavy contouring, highlighting, and matte lips. And today?

To find out the latest trends and sentiments around cosmetics and skincare in 2021, Bazaarvoice recently surveyed over 10,800 Influenster members. The highest composition of respondents were Millennials, followed by Gen Z, Gen X, and then Boomers.

When asked what beauty decade they identified with most, 42% of respondents said they’re all for the Kardashian-inspired looks of the ‘10’s. This was followed by the ’70s, with 21% saying that minimal makeup and shimmery eyes are their things (Boomers especially were more likely to choose the ‘70s). 

In addition to these beauty-by-decade prompts, we asked questions about some of the trends that are resonating right now. What did we find? These are five big trends dominating the beauty world today that brands and retailers need to know about. 

The current beauty trends consumers are following:

  1. Sustained focus on skincare
  2. Expressive cosmetics
  3. Experimenting with new techniques and products
  4. Personalized skincare and cosmetics
  5. Demand for brand transparency

1. Sustained focus on skincare 

A sustained focus on skincare has been a popular beauty trends for the past few years, but the pandemic has heightened this trend. In fact, close to 2 in 3 respondents said that they’re more focused on skincare now than they were pre-pandemic. This makes sense because people have had more time to dedicate to this type of care during quarantines and stay-at-home orders.

In addition to educating themselves on how to best treat their skin, respondents also said that new ailments have led to this increased focus on skincare. About 56% of people said they’re focused on targeted products for their specific skincare concerns. 42% prioritize purchasing cosmetics that offer skincare benefits.

Many women told us that they’re also now experiencing acne for the first time in their lives, likely due to stress and that dreaded “mascne” (mask + acne) the pandemic has brought on. Or they were starting to get more fine lines, which wasn’t a previous concern.

How can brands and retailers meet this need? Showcase social proof from customers who have seen results from products on your Instagram and other social channels. This will help promote products for particular skin concerns, highlight loyal customers, and give followers the chance to engage directly with your brand. 

2. Expressive cosmetics

Because of the skincare focus from the past few years, minimal makeup has also been a beauty trend to let glowy, smooth skin shine through. However, through this most recent survey, we found that when consumers wear makeup, it’s more a form of expression rather than an “everyday look.” About 8 in 10 respondents said they’re interested in makeup looks using color cosmetics, like bright eyeshadows, rosy cheeks, and vibrant lips.

Knowing this, brands and retailers should make an effort to focus on those bolder products in marketing and social media campaigns. Especially now the world has re-opened up and people start engaging in more activities outside again. 

And while we’ve been observing a trend of “less makeup-wearing” at home (what’s the point of doing a cat-eye when you’re just binge watching that new show everyone’s been telling you about?), over 25% of respondents said that even though they’re wearing less makeup now, they’ll return to ‘full-faced’ makeup soon. 

3. Experimenting with new techniques and products 

As we mentioned, consumers used all the extra time on their hands to experiment with new products and techniques. About 79% of shoppers have explored new makeup and/or skincare products and brands in the past year due to COVID-19, with close to 75% getting their inspiration from Instagram. (However, Boomers are more likely to choose a brand’s website for their makeup inspiration).

Some proven ways brands and retailers can engage more consumers on Instagram are:

  • Creating product tutorials
  • Responding to user comments and DMs
  • Building a library of user-generated content (UGC) by asking customers to post using a branded hashtag
  • Sharing UGC on feeds and in stories
  • Hosting contests or giveaways
  • Teaming up with influencers
  • Going live occasionally 

The other places people are seeking inspo right now? The second most popular answer was “Bloggers and influencers,” followed by YouTube, friends and family, TikTok, and brand websites. 

4. Personalized skincare and cosmetics 

When stores were shut down at the height of the pandemic, shoppers had to rely on brands to virtually match them to the right product. In our survey, 2 in 3 respondents said they’d taken online quizzes on brand sites and apps to figure out the perfect shade of makeup or skincare formulas for skin concerns. And, people are trusting the results of these brand quizzes. 

For those who have taken these approaches to figure out their shade or formula, 55% said it helped them decide what to try and/or buy next. 30% said they would try these resources again. And finally, 29% found their perfect shade/or formula. 

To establish even more trust with consumers, brands and retailers should understand the right audience specific to the respective skincare concerns. It’s also important to have claims from consumers before, and at launch, so you have proofs of concept ready. Product sampling is a great way to get products into the hands of the right consumers and ask them about their experience, validate claims, and get testimonials that can be used in marketing materials and advertising.

5. Demand for brand transparency 

One emerging beauty trend is transparency. In addition to finding the right shade or formula, consumers are also paying attention to a product’s ingredients and how it’s made. Nearly 66% of respondents said it’s their priority that brands provide more information about product ingredients and their benefits. The following are the most important to today’s consumers: cruelty-free, clean, hypo-allergenic, natural, organic, vegan, and green.

As well as transparency, consumers also care about the “behind the scenes” of a product’s creation. We always ask shoppers questions about brand and product messaging, claims, and packaging, and we continuously see that consumers care about a product being cruelty-free and green.

It’s essential for brands to provide education and visibility to consumers. For example, one Peter Thomas Roth acne treatment showcases its ingredients on the packaging. Still, the brand also wants to ensure that its consumers understand how those ingredients are changing their skin. 

Through a Bazaarvoice sampling campaign, it sent this treatment to women struggling with acne. The brand provided information on the packaging about each ingredient and its efficacy. Bazaarvoice prompted recipients to post their experiences with the product on social media and share their recommendations. 

Beauty trends are always changing. But it’s evident that the pandemic has rapidly changed the way consumers approach makeup and skincare. With endless products out there, your brand needs to take time to understand these trends and develop messaging, campaigns, and materials that resonate with today’s consumers to stand out from your competition. 

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