Despite the economic downturn and uncertainty in most global markets, the beauty industry just keeps growing. According to a report on the state of the business from McKinsey & Company and The Business of Fashion, global retail beauty sales are expected to reach $583 billion by 2027 – up from $427 billion in 2022 and eCommerce beauty sales are projected to account for 26% of the total worldwide market by 2027.
The beauty industry is not only growing in sales – but the number of new beauty brands and products on the market seem to be growing by the minute. From new must-have products from established brands to the latest beauty phenomenon and celebrity launches, there is never a dull moment in the beauty category. Have you been to a Boots store lately or shopped on johnlewis.com? Both offer great shopping experiences, but the sheer volume of choice can be overwhelming. Looking for a new mascara? On boots.com, you have a whopping 380 items to choose from. Need a new foundation? You’re in luck; johnlewis.com has a selection of 139 different kinds.
To stay competitive in such a high-growth, high-volume market, retailers must deliver a frictionless, customer-centric shopping experience centred around discoverability, ease and trust. For the in-store experience, it pays off to invest in continuous education and digital clienteling tools that empower frontline staff to provide the best shopping experience possible. But how do you replicate the same high-touch experience in online shopping?
Faceted navigation and advanced search functionality that help shoppers navigate large product catalogues have become table stakes. However, beauty shoppers often need more guidance, and that is harder to provide when they cannot just grab the nearest sales assistant for advice or physically try on a product. Smart retailers invest in new technologies to bridge the gap between the physical and digital, helping shoppers discover new products and make more confident purchase decisions.
Digital tools like live chat, chatbots, and conversational commerce connect shoppers to experts (or artificial experts) that can help guide shoppers or answer questions about products. Some retailers leverage augmented reality to enable shoppers to try on new products while others have introduced guided selling tools that cleverly help shoppers discover products through a series of questions or prompts.
Guiding shoppers through AI and expert help is not enough, though. Social influence has such a significant impact on how we shop and what we buy that retailers shouldn’t overlook the power of social proof. Social proof messaging collects and displays retail-time trends about what others are buying, what’s popular and what’s selling fast, and when retailers like Boots invest in social proof, browsing a massive selection of mascaras online becomes less daunting.
By leveraging real-time social proof messaging from Taggstar, beauty retailers and brands can deliver a wide range of customisable messages across the entire customer journey. From product listing and product detail page to the basket page, our social proof engine ensures that the most relevant and best-performing messages are delivered at every stage and optimised for any device. And by including social proof messaging in display advertising, social media and email marketing, retailers can drive more qualified traffic to their sites while assuring shoppers that they are making the right buying decisions.
How our favourite beauty retailers use social proof messaging
Authority messaging
- #1 bestselling foundation
- All time favourite lip gloss in June
Popularity messaging
- 56 people are looking at this right now
- 121 sold in the last 48 hours
Ratings/review messaging
- 98% rate this 5 stars for coverage
- 214 people rate this 5 stars for best value
Attribute messaging
- Clean Beauty – 37 sold in the last 24 hrs
- 18 bought Vegan and Cruelty-Free in the last hour
Personalisation messaging
- Purchased 71 times since your last visit 4 hours ago
- 24 purchased since you added to your bag
Introducing social proof is a low-risk, quick-to-execute decision. It will have a positive effect on conversion rates and sales, but most importantly, it will help customers at the virtual beauty store buy with confidence.
