The common thread Spotlight: Taking an editorial-led approach to retail marketing with Sarah Chapman

The world of beauty is booming. In 2019 the industry was worth $93.5bn dollars, that’s an impressive increase of $74.7 bn since 2018, and the value looks set to rise. What this shows us is there is an increase of young people with spending power. Millennial and Gen Z- loved beauty mavericks like Fenty and Glossier now rubbing shoulders with long-standing heritage brands like Kiehl’s and Estee Lauder. The landscape is more competitive and innovative than ever. 

As the way consumers choose to shop and how they get their recommendations shifts, so must the marketing tactics of retail brands. Options for shoppers are rife, whether they purchase with a v-commerce brand like DECIEM or choose a beauty retailer like Feelunique. 

With 74% of consumers still opting to ‘research and buy new items’ both online and via brick-and-mortar stores, there is a huge opportunity for beauty brands to create a customer experience that is seamless and relevant from the desktop to the cashier queue.

We spoke with Freddie Watson, Ecommerce Manager at the celebrity-favourite Sarah Chapman. We asked her how she is “creating marketing experiences her customers will love” within the world of beauty and skincare. She spoke to us about the power of “surprising and deleting” customers in a time where they are inundated with brand choices and notifications. 

Introducing Freddie 

Start – 05:29 

• Freddie’s start in ecommerce 
• The challenges and pluses of marketing in founder-led brands 

The importance of the “surprise and delight aspect”

05:31 – 15:10

• How to provide smaller personalised experiences outside of typical campaigns 
• Using relevant holidays and events to reestablish your value to the customer 
• How to assign a ROI that isn’t directly noticeable in sales. 
• Real-world examples of how Freddie succeeded in her experience-first ideas 

Building a “story brand” + centring the customer 

15:11 – 19:00

• The special USPs beauty marketing can dig into to excite customers 
• The two key components to creating a brand story that resonates 
• How to showcase your products 
• Positioning your brand as ‘helping customer to solve a problem’ 
• Being ‘customer-centric’ beyond acquiring data and insight 

A challenges and successes of marketing your products as a ‘digital first’ brand 

  19:05 – 27:50

• Wearing many marketing hats in smaller online-only businesses 
• Acquiring people digitally and create touch-points with no physical access to products 
• Using you data in other ways to reach out to specific customer groups beyond email 
• Breaking the US-market as a digital brand

What there is to look forward to in the beauty industry

27:51 – 39:00

• A continued focus on direct-to-consumer marketing 
• Bringing ‘the clinic experience’ online, expert-grade ingredients as a brand USP 
• Consumers getting younger and brands pivoting to sell skincare to them 
• An increase in content marketing, media brands as indirect competitors 
• The relationship between sales and marketing teams in pushing favourite products

Roundup 

39:01 – end

• How to provide value to the customer 
• The creation of a community around your brand via social media 
• The risks of reducing customers to groups and segments