Top performers: High-end skin care brands domination expected to continue post-pandemic – Lazada

Lazada is an e-commerce platform headquartered in Singapore. It is the South East Asian flagship platform of the Alibaba Group and operates in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the platform saw a surge in demand as customers and sellers turned to online sales channels amid various offline disruptions.

According to Lazada, sales of products in the beauty category more than doubled year-on-year in the first quarter alone.

Within the category, skin care sales saw the biggest increase. The company attributed this to the change in consumer habits, with more people spending time at home and investing in skin care as part of their wellness routines.

Surprisingly, make-up sales remained ‘steady’ ​despite the impact of the pandemic and the firm expects to see a pick-up as COVID-19 restrictions ease up.

At the same time, Lazada does not anticipate a reverse in the upward trend for skin care.

Prestige skin care brands such as Estée Lauder, SK-II, and Sulwhasoo have consistently topped the rankings during Lazada’s sale campaigns and Lazada expects this trend to continue.

In Thailand alone, the company saw a huge growing demand for branded goods, with LazMall’s gross merchandise value (GMV) growth of over 230% year-on-year.

Most recently, Lancôme launched its Singapore flagship store on LazMall, a marketplace that curates leading brands and guarantees the authenticity of its listings.

According to Lazada, Lancôme quickly rose through the rankings and was one of the best-selling beauty brands during Lazada’s Surprise Birthday Sale, even though it just launched on LazMall that very same month, highlighting the strong demand for prestige skin care.

The L’Oréal-owned brand claims to be the top skin care brand in Asia based on data reported by Beauté Research on Asia’s prestige beauty market.

Prestige perks

As the COVID-19 situation stabilises in cities like Singapore, it emphasised the need to offer ‘more seamless​ options’ to shop online and offline.

As part of its omnichannel strategy, Lancôme has integrated its current loyalty program with the Lazada platform to offer shoppers a ‘unified shopping experience’.​

According to Lazada, Lancôme is the first brand to integrate its existing loyalty program into its ecosystem.

The program offers a four-tier membership and rewards activities like leaving a review online and trying beauty services in-store.

Shoppers can redeem their points for deluxe beauty kits, full-sized beauty favourites, beauty services at Maison Lancôme, as well as exclusive merchandise and unique experiences such as Lancôme Absolue Staycation and High Tea.

This integrated loyalty program is an example of how existing and new shoppers can enjoy an ‘accessible and convenient shopping experience’, said Lazada.

Moving forward, it expects to see more premium beauty brands taking a similar blended approach.