The online channel presents a major challenge for beauty brands and companies, according to market researcher Diagonal Reports. “[Online] is a disruptive force,” said the company in its latest report, Beauty Dialogue and Digital Sales 2013, “because it is transforming how people are influenced about, and obtain information on, beauty products and brands”.
According to the company, the arrival of the online channel coincides with the rise of emerging markets and changes in consumer segments. Nevertheless, despite the emergence of new technologies, Diagonal Reports has stated that dialogue that is the key to selling premium and new beauty. “In particular, new and innovative products require specific and appropriate dialogue to become established, while sales of premium brands are always engagement-intensive.”
Meanwhile, the online channel can be used to tap into and benefit from the wealth of dialogue expertise that is already available, said the company. “Beauty professionals have wide experience in encouraging and persuading people to buy the new and unfamiliar. At [the] customer contact point, beauty experts have had to re-work and re-shape dialogues for a wide range of new products, protocols and procedures.”