Online beauty stores aren't just marketing vehicles – the rapidly growing digital landscape is driving sales too. The imposed quarantine or social distancing has been priced so aggressively across various asset classes that some fear a recession in the global economy may be a foregone conclusion. However, only an immediate and existential threat like COVID–19 could have led to such a profound change. Beauty eCommerce stores are capturing the interest of consumers with experiential, digital–fuelled playgrounds.
Not just marketing vehicles, mono–brand and multi–brand stores have the potential to be sales drivers. From Chanel and Dior to Benefit and renowned Greek brand Korres, the strategy is to offer consumers a way to emotionally connect with the brand through storytelling. In turn, multi–brand websites for instance, Sephora and Cult Beauty, host wholesale suppliers willing to regularly distribute their products under one dedicated hub. A multi–brand marketplace implements tactical UX capabilities such as filters (by discounts, date of product release, price, etc.) because skincare is inherently a personal experience.
Having thoroughly analyzed world–renowned beauty stores, we have rounded up a list of must have features that are imperative to the beauty industry.
Vivid and powerful design
While focusing on simplicity and moving away from the informational clutter, beauty websites move purpose into the foreground. By adhering to consistent grids made up of columns and rows, this structure defines spacing between products and other elements and ensures clarity. An adequate platform such as Drupal, can scale into millions of configurations and customisable components, applicable to the cosmetics products niche.
Rating system, user feedback, and informative product descriptions.
A feedback section and a rating system is vital for measuring and improving Customer Experience. by which your users will be able to sort products and go through reviews by popular beauty influencers. Product descriptions supply customers with important information about the features and benefits of the product so they’re compelled to buy. These descriptions need to augment your product pages as to adhere to SEO as well.
Security
When delving into the realms of online shopping, you must choose a secure payment gateway as to minimise risks of private user data theft. At Tabs, we recommend ready–made API instead of developing a new solution. The majority of successful commercial resources implement know–your–customers systems, with the aim to review a customer’s integrity. In turn, if the system works efficiently, no one will be able to pay using a stolen credit card.
Loyalty programs and coupons
The vast majority of beauty commercial websites, employ bonus systems and special promo codes sent automatically to registered users’ emails. With Drupal Commerce, unlimited number of promotions can be added and will be applied based on the weight that you give each promotion.
These technologies can also reshape the way that brands operate:
Chat bots
According to Hubspot, 47% of consumers are open to buying items through a Chatbot. In the current, highly-versatile, and functional market conditions, chatbots have become vital for buyer journeys. The response time of these bots and automated dialogues, will enable you interact with your customers on a personal level. Beauty stack for instance, takes users through a witty on–boarding process. Chatbots are often based on AI and are able to replace live support staff, as they provide 24/7 virtual assistance.
Blockchain
While still in its infancy, some modern stores use blockchain to counter fraud and transparency. Nowadays, consumers cannot trust every shop that sells beauty products – there must be guarantees that these are not fake or contaminated. You can provide your users with blockchain access that they could use to personally ensure that certain items are delivered straight from the official brand storage.
Artificial intelligence
Adhering to 'see now, buy now'Artifical Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have been infiltrating the beauty industry. These technologies can completely reshape the way that brands operate, by simplifying processes enabling customers to find and select products based on their history of search and purchase. Performance–wise, brands have the biggest pain points with campaign measurements. Leveraging from the power of AI and Machine learnings, these methods provide unified frameworks and actionable insights.
To help you understand your online exposure and more importantly, position your business to be resilient in the face of this digital shift, contact us right now using the form below and let us bring your idea to life.
