7 Tips for Starting Your Makeup Line
While some fashion merchants have been suffering from the “retail apocalypse”, the cosmetics businesses are skyrocketing and predicted to continue to rule the retail industry for the next few years.
This could be a good opportunity for those who want to start their own makeup lines. However, starting a cosmetics business isn’t easy since there are thousands of makeup lines out there that are trying to reach the top of the industry.
If you are about to start your own cosmetics brand, here is a guide for you.
1. Follow trends & discover what consumers want
It’s impossible to start a successful makeup line without keeping up trends. If you want to outshine your competitors, then you must be more informed than they are. Know the latest releases of world famous brands by subscribing to various beauty websites.
Watch makeup related videos on YouTube, read various fashion articles, and keep up with makeup trends on social media. This will make it easier for you to find a concept for your makeup line.
You should also find out what kind of makeup products desired by consumers, why they choose certain makeup lines, and what other brands haven’t provided yet.
2. Define your brand identity
What do you want to make people feel when they first hear about your makeup line? You have to take the time to think of the kind of brand image you want to build.
Research shows that consumers prefer brands that care about social and environmental issues than those who don’t. So, you should also pay attention to various important issues around you and show your concern for the issues through your makeup line.
3. Find what’s missing in the marketplace
There are thousands of cosmetics line that are competing to bring something unique to their products. Find out what they are doing to help you create more unique ideas. You can apply concepts that are similar to theirs, but try to add more value to your brand.
Try to take an example from Fenty Beauty. The newly-launched makeup line made a breakthrough by releasing a more diverse array of foundation shades. This is something that was previously unthinkable by other cosmetics brands.
Rihanna, the founder of Fenty Beauty, noticed challenges faced by women of color when they look for makeup products. Dark-skinned women had difficulty finding the foundation shades that perfectly suit their skin tones. Now, more and more makeup lines are copying what Fenty Beauty did.
4. Make it easy for consumers to find your makeup line
Nowadays, consumers tend to use multiple channels to shop. The majority of makeup fans are millennials and Gen Z who are impossible to be separated from technology. Therefore, make sure you make it easier for them to find your makeup line.
Take a look at what Elizabeth Arden does. Even though the brand is mostly known as a beauty brand for older women, they are now targeting younger consumers by promoting their products through their e-commerce site and Instagram. They also collaborate with with a famous makeup application, YouCam App.
Aside from selling your makeup products on your own e-commerce site and social media, you can also use multiple marketplaces to sell them. Adding more sales channels can help increase brand awareness as well as your sales.
Consider using omni-channel software to make it easier for you to manage orders, view sales data, and manage product inventory on each marketplace.
5. Ensure the safety of the ingredients you use
Another important thing that you may not miss is compliance standards. Make sure that your makeup products meet safety standards and get approved by the FDA. Thus, it is very important to test your makeup products first before releasing them to the public. Know the ingredients that shouldn’t be used in makeup products.
6. Create a winning customer experience
Consumers don’t just want to buy products, they also want to get a pleasant shopping experience. When you go to a shopping center you can see that people prefer to visit makeup stores that provide great customer service such as free beauty consultation and free makeup services.
However, since almost all makeup stores have provided the same type of service, you should provide something different. See what Sephora has done. The most sought-after makeup line provides an application called Virtual Artist that allows the customers to virtually try their makeup products.
Sephora managed to combine online and offline experiences by allowing customers to buy products on their website and pick them up in their stores. In addition, they also provide chatbots that serve consultation for their customers. With creative customer experience like this, it’s no wonder that their income increased by 11 percent last year.
7. Choose the right brand representative
Collaborating with influencers or hiring brand ambassadors is something commonplace for various brands to market their products. If you feel you have to embrace a brand ambassador to help promote your makeup line, then choose someone who is really relevant to your product.
Don’t just choose a brand representative based on their fame without regard to their reputation or their relevance to your brand. Make sure that they can help improve your brand’s image.