Retail Therapy: Building Customer Love as a Small Beauty Brand
The Retail Therapy series examines the state of modern retail, e-commerce and in-store sales. Expect emerging trends, industry insights and international examples.
In the mixed picture of global beauty sales BPerfect Cosmetics, a small Irish brand, has seen its sales soar during the pandemic.
When the pandemic temporarily halted its wholesale operations, CEO Brendan McDowell and his team used the sudden change of pace to their advantage, by focusing on online sales and product development.
The company emerged from the pandemic having reached over half a million followers on Instagram, and sales up 400% versus the pre-pandemic period. The retailer capped off the year by opening a flagship physical retail space in Belfast.
In bricks-and-mortar retail, finding the right balance between operating safely and remaining financially stable is an urgent concern, particularly for small businesses. According to Verizon’s 2020 Business Recovery Survey, 55% of small business owners admitted they felt uncertain about staying afloat financially as a direct result of social distancing rules limiting their operations.
Though a swift response prevented any lasting damage, BPerfect very nearly became a victim of its own success, after footage went viral that appeared to show large crowds and invited influencers breaching safety guidelines at the store opening.
With businesses of all sizes likely to face similar challenges, below we identify three tactics this small brand has adopted to pandemic-proof its operations and win long-term customer loyalty, and one area for possible growth.
Humble Be
With recent changes in hygiene standards, and public shaming of companies who fall below the newly-accepted baselines, it is vital that brands and organisations do their utmost to keep staff and customers safe.
It is equally important that brands act quickly and publicly acknowledge their blind spots if mistakes have been made. Responding to the public backlash after his launch, McDowell swiftly issued an apology. He defended the safety measures that were put in place, but admitted that he “learned a massive lesson” and promised to do more in future.
Inclusive = Exclusive
Recent high-profile campaigns show the global beauty industry realising the power of diverse representation, with products for men, older people and all skin tones. Yet progress has been painfully slow.
By contrast, this small Irish brand has shown that embracing inclusivity is an important, and highly profitable, move. BPerfect has championed “inclusivity, diversity and individuality” from the start. With this firmly in mind, as well as having step-free access, its £250k superstore was specifically designed to be “welcoming for all age-groups and genders.”
Think Global, Act Local
Retail savant Mary Portas sees more thoughtful spending habits emerging as a result of the pandemic. Customers today want brands to stand for something that resonates with them, because they are now “buying into them, rather than buying from them.”
BPerfect excels in this arena. Ahead of the store opening, McDowell expressed his desire “to give back to the community of Northern Ireland for their unwavering loyalty.”
Part of this is working “with local charities to help those in need by welcoming them to the store to help boost their confidence.” These kinds of local brand acts are central to Portas’ idea of the “kindness economy”. The benefits of this are two-fold. As well as feeling good, they help build long-standing brand love, and customer loyalty.
Livestream leader
BPerfect is internationally renowned for its compelling social media presence and live makeup tutorials. McDowell said several influencers invited to the opening event would “be demonstrating some unbelievable looks, live on social media.”
Western beauty brands are experimenting with shoppable livestreaming events, technology already well-established in China and South Korea. BPerfect could have leveraged this aspect of its brand power, by making the livestreamed demonstrations fully shoppable. Even better, a completely virtual launch across its powerful social platforms, with an option to book appointments for a later in-store experience, could have avoided the logistical issues of a physical ribbon-cutting.
One gets the sense that the Belfast store is only the beginning for BPerfect. Its brand acts, strong values and human response to the pandemic have given it a very strong foothold for the future.
McDowell notes that he and his team “are looking forward to the next few months with renewed hope, new ideas and new products ready to roll out.” This hope, and their success, would seem to be completely justified.
