If someone had told you that in 20 years, thanks to your phone, you would be able to virtually try on and buy your favorite lipstick through the social network of your choice, would you have believed it? Believe it or not, we are there! Because of the many creative possibilities and the numerous publication formats, beauty is the most propitious sector to use these social platforms. This new digital sales system not only allows platforms to enhance their merchants’ stores but also to reinforce their position as e-commerce leaders.
Gen Z, the generation that makes decisions
This phenomenon that has entered the minds of brands and users tends to show us that it is now the Gen Z who hold the reins. With an average of 14 hours per week spent on social networks, they are considered the future of trends to come, they are more and more demanding and want their digital customer experience and digital customer journey to be attractive. This strongly invites beauty brands to succeed in their digital conquest to scrupulously and quickly respond to the demands of these new consumers with considerable purchasing power.
Yes, it’s a big challenge to take up! But what would happen to a brand if it didn’t change anything while consumers change? Today’s small-screen enthusiasts are demanding a FER experience (Functionality, Efficiency, Reality). Indeed, the consumers of the Z generations will be much more attracted to a social platform that offers both a functional aspect but also an efficient aspect in its services but that is also realistic. Let’s take the case of the French brand, “La Bouche Rouge”. Created in 2017, this young makeup brand composed of naturally sourced products, speaks the same language as Generation Z. Aligned with the same principles and values, La Bouche Rouge wants to offer on the same space, to Generation Z and new customers, the necessary tools to inspire them and influence their purchasing choices.
On their Instagram page and always in connection with social shopping, the brand offers many tools to orient, guide and inspire their potential buyers. To accentuate this social shopping aspect, the brand communicates tutorials on how to best use their products, La Bouche Rouge also develops gift guides that are communicated by influencers and are the best way for consumers to get inspired and guided in this social shopping experience. Moreover and logically, they give the possibility to buy directly on their instagram page. This social shopping space offers all the possible tools to get inspired, to get information, to get advice and to buy, all in one space.
Towards platforms that reform
This FER experience, beauty brands have digitally converted to it through the following tools. It all started with the dog ears and tongue that everyone loved on Snapchat, then this trend was democratized, and the flower crown filter appeared. Between us, as long as taking a picture with a flower’s filter that makes us cute, why not taking a picture directly with a filter that blurs our face and hides our imperfections ? And finally, why can’t we choose ourselves what we want to hide, blur, color or modify with foundation, mascara, eye shadow, eyebrow color and hair filters? This is exactly what many beauty brands are developing. Still in its infancy, augmented reality companies are trying to make us happy year after year by improving the rendering of these virtual filters that can quickly tempt us to change our hair color.
Facing brands that stand out
As soon as users have a crush on a beauty product, through a makeup filter, they can then use the second digital tool: buy directly on the social platform. A first in the social world. Although it is advantageous for beauty brands, which when they share content on social networks increase their sales, there are more than 30% of users who buy directly on social networks. However, brands still have the choice to be present or not on these social platforms to try on or sell their products. This is what the social network Tiktok wants to do. With more than 1.5 billion downloads and an engagement rate of 4.9%, the Chinese platform allowing the exchange of videos in music has indirectly and in a short time found a new feature which is the “product fitting demonstration”.
We can see it in the numerous videos of lambda consumers who test one or more products of various beauty brands, telling us about their disappointment or on the contrary their satisfaction. Once the products are “tested, approved, communicated” why not buy them? Once again, Tiktok has continued it’s digital conquest by collaborating with Shopify. Kylie Jenner, the famous influencer with 300 million followers and founder of the brand Kylie Cosmetics was one of the first to integrate Tiktok shopping.
Nevertheless, Tiktok is not the only platform to use this online sales system. Instagram, which has 1.4 billion monthly active users and an engagement rate of 2.84%, has also started to offer an online shopping service called “Check-out” for brands that want to boost their sales. This is the case for the following skincare and beauty brands: Anastasia Beverly Hills, Huda Beauty, KKW Beauty, Mac Cosmetics, The Ouai and Rowse Beauty for example. With the help of sponsored consumers, brands are not only banking on filter choices that allow customers to try out products but are also banking on the ability to purchase directly via “Checkout On Instagram.”
But Instagram doesn’t stop there! For the holiday season, the social network has come up with a series of shows focused on shopping and sometimes with exclusive product launches. The most of this event? Instagram will integrate a weekly program of collections of influencers. But that’s not all! The platform, in the “store” tab also launches a gift guide with a variable price range and up to 250$. Of course the platform did not stop there. In order to help its retailers maximize their sales, Instagram has chosen to offer 20% off for everyone making their first order.
On the Facebook side, the social platform is also part of the “online sales” team with “Facebook Shops”. Like most online sites and like the platforms mentioned above, Facebook also has the “Add to cart” feature. 53% of Generation Z say they have purchased a brand after seeing an ad or promotion on Instagram.
Finally, based on these numbers and considering the massive evolution of the digital age, one has to wonder what to expect in terms of digital developments for the coming years ? What about you, have you ever purchased via a communication network ?
