Changing trends in the beauty business
Eight months into the pandemic, the global beauty industry which comprises of skincare, colour cosmetics, haircare, fragrances and personal care has, like the majority of industries, been shaken by the COVID-19 crisis. Based on consumption habits on its site, the way customers buy beauty has changed and continues to alter quite significantly as we continue into the new year, according to Neelam Keswani, Founder and CEO at Glamazle.com. here are the beauty consumption habits that Glamazle.com has seen develop in the region during 2020.
WFH Essentials and the decline of colour cosmetics: With increasing work from home options and distance learning, sales of coloured cosmetics have been hit hard, especially lipstick where there was a decline by 40 percent in the Middle East, higher than the global figures. According to a recent study by McKinsey, even when consumers do return to work, many will continue to wear masks, further slowing make-up’s recovery.
The rise in mask make-up: As women get back to work, the demand for lipsticks might have dropped, but above the mask make-up has seen a huge spike. Coloured lenses and coloured liners to add more drama to the eye area have seen a huge uptake.
Product Substitution: As redundancies and salary reductions happened in almost every sector, consumers began to watch every dirham they spent and product substitution increased. Customers who previously purchased a hyaluronic acid serum worth AED 500 were opting for the same serum at a lower price point. There was a lot of conscious buying too and as a business Glamazle.com saw a major shift purchase from single items to routine care kits too.
Salon results at home: With limited in-person beauty services, social distancing and mask wearing requirements, customers have changed their spending habits. Customers are gravitating towards products that give them the salon results at home. Sales of skincare, nailcare and haircare products soared 300 percent at Glamazle.com especially during full lockdown.
Move to holistic beauty: During lockdown, a lot of videos floated about Holistic Wellness or Aromatherapy wellness to help people cope with stress. Glamazle.com saw sales of diffusers, incense sticks and pillow sprays soar 700 percent as consumers wanted to help calm their minds, improve sleep patterns or even get more energy. This trend continues with many requests to bring health and nutrition categories to the site. According to Keswani, the beauty industry has also been affected by consumers wanting meaningful experiences and to spend their money with those they see as being ethical and giving back.
After reporting a 75 percent overall growth in 2020, Glamazle.com continues to go through a significant phase of growth and have significant expansion plans in their sight.As a business one of the most significant differences ending the year is a change of focus from geographical expansion to vertical expansion with the recent addition of the health and nutrition section and the soon to launch men’s grooming section, and eventually a holistic wellness section as well.
