“No single strategy will work for every brand”: So what should brands do?

Customer experience​

“The customer experience is increasingly becoming king,”​ revealed Inkling London, considering Asia, Europe and the US.

Commenting on what the ideal customer experience looks like for beauty and personal care consumers, Inkling went on to note: “Progressive brands and their agencies are looking at how they create those immersive experiences that will not just make their customers happy, but make them want to share that across social media channels.”​

Purchase journey​

The big challenge for brands now is to understand what consumers want at various stages of the purchase journey.

Brands need to make sure they know how they can cut through the information to appreciate these, how these differ and also that all their multiple components are working together to make a coherent whole.

Driving factors​

Along with numerous economic factors impacting the increasing importance of customer experience, the “simplest one is that consumers expectations have risen, they expect more”.  

In addition, the digital world has the ability to showcase what others are doing and so provides a snapshot of competitor's strategies, goals and achievements.

Importance of sources​

Source checking is crucial in the Chinese and APAC marketplace. “There has been a perfect storm; in a positive way,”​ Inkling relayed.

Consumers are accessing Xiao Hong Shu, KOL official WeChat or Weibo accounts and live streaming, which are “particularly important in China”​.

“Exponential consumer demand has been met by an advancement in technology and access to digital tools that were not available even five years ago.”​  

Along with rising consumer expectations, expanding sales channels and multiplied information options provide Asian customers with reviews and notes from overseas beauty enthusiasts.

Sharing views on how the “category has sped up”​, marketeers can live stream product demos and reach a sales target of a million in “a matter of hours”​.

Marketing strategies​

A bespoke, considered approach needs to be adopted by each individual brand. “There's no single strategy that will work for every brand, the trick is to get a strong understanding of what your future consumers are looking for when it comes to your product and service, and then find the best possible way to over-deliver,”​ added Inkling London.

Providing insights into specifics, “live streaming is getting some great results right now”​. Balancing digital and physical tactics, “offline experiences are still powerful ways to drive discovery”​.