How digital platforms are changing the trends of cosmetic industry

 Introduction

One significant change in consumer behavior in the digital context is that they are shifting towards e-commerce. Consumers today like to shop from cosmetic websites that are very easy to use and the layout is simple, functional and efficient. Convenience is the main attraction for online modern users and if it’s absent then it just takes one click for them to switch to another brand. In the following article we will examine and evaluate the impact of digital technology and how this change has improved brand awareness, brand engagement and boost sales. Some reasonable suggestions will be recommended at the end of the evaluation.

Analysis of change 

The buying habits of consumer are changing with the rapid change in technology. Digital technology provides consumer to experience brands in entirely unique ways. 

Online shopping is rapidly growing every year, it’s essential to understand what current trend indicates and identify the best way to stay ahead on the top of competitors. 

Like any other industry, cosmetic industry is also shaping up according to their consumer needs and demands. Digital platforms and social media has a great impact on consumer behavior. Nowadays, make-up is not just about simple basic techniques or simple use of products such as foundation, lipstick and mascara. Consumers want to buy new things like contouring kit, highlighter and glossy products so that they can be always ready for a camera look and then update their pictures on different social platforms (Simpson and Craig, 2018).

Digital has changed business model of cosmetic industry, its more about experience base -model than product - base model (Simpson and Craig, 2018). Brands are creating good interaction with their consumers to have a better understanding about their lifestyle and new trends that they are following. Some of new trends that consumers are following nowadays are to follow their favorite make- up YouTubers or Instagram stars and use their product line if they have launched any. Also, consumer take pictures of their beauty products and updating it on Instagram. As a result, brands no longer only focus on the products but also on its packaging as creative packaging gain more attention from Instagrammers. This provides a clear challenge for brands to improve their products but without sacrificing the look of their products (Mintel, 2018).

As per research, the worth of beauty industry globally is estimated around $500 billions and the sale of cosmetic in the UK alone is around £ 1 billion (Reid, 2018). Although online shopping is gaining more attention because of long working hours, busy schedule and convenience. Consumers still enjoy buying beauty products from the physical stores (Reid, 2018). Therefore, many innovations can be seen in stores such as some stores have Beauty Studios where they provide some extra services to their consumers for their nails, hair threading session and so on. Various technological ways are taking place in selling beauty products to large number of audience by the retailers. The selling process is changing with the help of new technology such as improved delivery system and, click and collect. Having said that, in make -up industry it is still essential for the brand to have a positive image of physical store and strong online presence too. 

Nowadays, augmented reality and virtual apps are the new trends in the digital market. They have gain lot of attention in different industries such as furniture, Ikea consumers are very happy with this app has they can visualize a product before buying it (Mintel, 2018). However, it’s not same in make-up industry because sometimes the colors can be misleading on different skin tones so it can be very different from reality (Mintel, 2017). Regarding online activates consumer are more interested in doing research about the products before buying them online and also comparing prices. Use of virtual apps activity is still low in ranking (Mintel, 2017). 

Conclusion 

There are many well- known brands that have strong positive brand image through physical stores but their online business doesn’t perform better. For these kind of businesses the stores websites should be trendy compared to its competitors and the website should not have too much of content as it can lead consumer confuse and frustrated. Moreover, comment session should be updated on regular basis as by not doing so it can cause negative publicity and consumers might no longer feel confident in organization’s products and brand. In this digital era, it has become essential for brands to create a good reputation through their physical stores as well as their online presences. Digital platforms and social media are the new ways to interact with consumers and keep them engaged with the brand so that they keep coming back and stay loyal towards the stores. In this way, the businesses can have positive growth in terms of sales, profit and positive publicity.