CosmeticsDesign-USA (CDU) spoke with Andrew Smith (AS), Vice President of Marketing at PowerReviews, to learn more about how PowerReviews works. 2023 Health and Beauty Shopping Trendshas been carried out and discusses its main results and what they mean for manufacturers and suppliers in the beauty industry.
In the first part of this two-part article series, we pointed to the fact that despite the cost of living crisis, certain consumer groups are still increasing their spending on beauty. The study surveyed 26,340 U.S. consumers and aimed to uncover how consumers browse and buy online and the key factors that influence their purchasing decisions. It was conducted in May 2023. This survey is an update of the previous year’s survey report. Meeting beauty shoppers’ digital expectations in a post-pandemic world.
CDU: What are the best practices for attracting a new generation of beauty consumers who rely on product sampling and reviews?
AS: The majority of brands and retailers recognize that ratings and reviews play a huge role in the buying process. In fact, ratings and reviews are the number one factor influencing purchasing decisions, surpassing other factors such as price, free shipping, and brand.
The concept of product sampling is not new. In fact, this is an age-old strategy that brands and retailers employ to get people to try a product, hoping that they’ll like it so much that they’ll buy it for themselves when samples run out. I look forward to it. For example, pre-COVID-19, a beverage brand might have been handing out free samples of new products at grocery stores. Or a household goods brand might try to lure consumers by mailing samples of a new laundry detergent.
Product sampling for review is a similar concept, but with a different end goal. First, send free samples of your product to a specific audience. This product can be as small as a travel-sized toothpaste or as large as a vacuum cleaner. Also, it doesn’t have to be the product itself. It could also be a coupon or gift card that consumers redeem for free items at a store.
After consumers try your product, ask them to write a review and share their honest opinions. These consumers can also include photos and videos of the product in action as part of their reviews.
Best practice steps include setting firm goals, sending the right number of samples with the right sampling partners, targeting the right audience, and maintaining an appropriate level of communication cadence. This includes ensuring reliability, having the tools to measure campaign performance and identifying actionable insights, and ensuring reliability. And transparency.
CDU: How can manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products make the most of reviews and beauty product sampling techniques to improve the ingredients in their product formulations?
AS: PowerReviews research shows that shoppers are increasingly looking for brands and products that align with their values, and when it comes to beauty products, there’s a lot of focus on the ingredients in those products. His 80% of consumers say it is at least somewhat important that the product in question is “clean”, meaning it is made in a sustainable manner using natural ingredients. Meanwhile, almost half (48%) say it’s important that the beauty products they consider are vegan.
If cosmetics and personal care manufacturers heed such findings and formulate their products accordingly, they could potentially improve reviews and increase sales.
CDU: Why have product ratings and reviews become so important?
AS: Throughout the pandemic and even now with the economy down, the beauty sector has remained strong despite the fact that many shoppers are cutting back on discretionary purchases. 29% of consumers spend more than $200 per month on beauty, up from 15% a year ago.
At the top of the list of factors that influence beauty shopping behavior are ratings and reviews. In fact, beauty shoppers have come to rely on this content throughout the purchase process. At the top of the funnel, the majority of consumers use ratings and reviews to discover new beauty products, and 70% of beauty shoppers use them to learn about products they’ve never purchased before. I’m using this content. Additionally, ratings and reviews are the factors that consumers trust the most. 89% say they trust ratings and reviews when deciding whether to purchase beauty products.
It has become important for beauty brands to have a strong online presence, even if they only sell indirectly through retailers. Our research shows that fewer than one-third of U.S. shoppers refer to department store websites (31%) or physical stores (24%) when conducting beauty research.
