Renowned world retail brands like Sephora are here to stay, but that doesn’t mean there is no room in the beauty market for new make-up brands to build their own customer base. Independent makeup brands have had lots of success by offering products that target specific needs which allowed them to create a more personal bond with their customers.
During the global pandemic, thanks to stay-at-home orders, online beauty brands in Australia and worldwide have experienced a soar in sales with over 64% monthly growth. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, online beauty products were booming. Starting a make-up line is a great opportunity to tell your story and connect with the customers, which is something that today’s consumers and Gen Z shoppers look for in most brands.
Building an online make-up business can be very rewarding, and with these simple but key steps, you can easily start your own brand.
Pick your niche
When starting a cosmetic brand, picking the right eCommerce niche is essential. The beauty industry is very competitive and growing fast. In Australia, the focus is on sustainability and there’s been a high demand for natural cosmetics such as organic make-up and cruelty-free sunscreens. The attributes you assign to your brand are the ones that will give you an advantage over the competition, from the type of ingredients you pick to target the specific audience to what your brand stands for. This is a very important step as in general, the reasons that drive your need to start a cosmetic brand are the same factors that consumers are looking for.
Do market research
With such fierce competition in the online cosmetic business, conducting thorough market and competitor research is crucial. It’s extensive work so you might consider hiring a reputable Melbourne PR agency to assist you on that journey. Before you launch a makeup line, you need information about your competitor’s pricing structure, social commerce strategy, customer reviews, special offers, and media coverage. Knowing their mission, vision, and values can help you design your unique brand position.
Source out a cosmetics manufacturer
The most common types of makeup manufacturers are private labels and white labels. Private-label manufacturers are custom-made line that allows you to sell your products under your brand name with the option of customizing all your products’ features.
Contrastingly, a white-label manufacturer produces makeup products for various brands and then rebrands them under their name. Both of these are similar and cost-effective, but a private-label manufacturer leaves more room for customization, making your product unique and exclusive.
Develop brand awareness
What attracts customers to online make-up brands are the stories they tell and the emotions they evoke. This emotional connection with the customer base is crucial for selling a make-up line. Make-up customers will more likely buy more expensive products if they help them feel more confident, aligns with their beliefs, and brings them joy and satisfaction. This is what brand awareness is all about – creating a brand that is recognizable and that the customers trust and keep coming back to.
Your brand perception begins with the messaging and imagery that you use in your marketing and ad creative. So, before you launch a make-up brand, make an effort to design a brand (including name, logo, website, and marketing assets) that makes your cosmetics line distinctive and notable.
Set up your online shop
The next step is to create an online store and you can choose among several eCommerce platforms (such as Shopify, Squarespace, BigCommerce etc.). All of these make it easy to launch an eCommerce site without the need for a web developer. Test everything before you make your website live. Most eCommerce platforms offer easy options for running orders, so you can make sure shipping settings are right, the checkout page is optimized, and the post-purchase emails are firing properly.
Market your brand
When it comes to marketing your brand, you need to be creative. There are many different ways to go, you will need a marketing and ad budget to attract online store traffic and returning customers. Pick those tools and channels based on your customers’ favourite hangout places and information sources. You can start a social ad campaign using Instagram and Facebook, or try Google ads.
Now that you know the very basics of launching a cosmetic brand, you are ready to start bringing your ideas to life and becoming a successful online business.
