In the world of beauty retail competition is fierce. Eager beauty shoppers have led the way for retailers to expand into new categories and stock new products, creating a sea of brands for consumers to explore as they return to physical stores in full force.
For brands, this means engaging with the consumer in-store is paramount to avoid being overlooked. And to do this many companies are building in-store experiences that will highlight products’ unique differences. It is a smart play since recent consumer behavior research consistently shows that engaging with brands through in-person events is exactly what shoppers are looking for.
Notably, a report by PwC in early 2023 found that consumers have been eager to return to stores for the in-person experience with a majority of shoppers (43 percent) saying they prefer purchasing in-store and 11 percent of online buyers planning to switch to in-store shopping. Moreover, despite current economic uncertainties impacting all areas of the retail industry, beauty consumers continue to represent some of the strongest shoppers today. Recent consumer data from Circana shows that as shoppers make choices that reflect what is important to them, most (70 percent) have no plans to reduce spending on beauty products given the category’s emotional connections with consumers.
Retailers are investing more than ever in events this year, but it is up to the brands to build their own experience for the consumers and that demands a proper blueprint and an engaged team – that’s where Beauty Barrage comes in.
Bringing brands to life for consumers through in-person experiences is one of the key strategies utilized by Beauty Barrage for elevating brands at retail. Beauty Barrage’s best-in-class retail sales agency has over 300 brand ambassadors across the U.S. and Canada managing in-store education, sales support and events for many beauty brands and retailers alike.
When Sonia Summers discovered the power that Beauty Barrage’s executed events had on her brand partners’ sales, she began working with her teams to tie as many events into their new product launches in-store as possible. Today Beauty Barrage has a dedicated events team invested in building out brands’ strategies for making the most of in-store moments.
According to Summers, founder and chief executive officer of Beauty Barrage, “it is no surprise that retail events have grown into loyalty-drivers. With all the sales promotions, consumers have become smarter at shopping. Events are the perfect prescription to elevating the brand experience.”
Led by industry veterans Julie Aoun, director, national events and talent at Beauty Barrage, and Brandon Tucker, national events manager at Beauty Barrage, Beauty Barrage’s events team are experts in the brands promotions and most importantly execution to drive sales, knowing that events are the perfect opportunity to introduce a consumer to a brand. Beauty Barrage’s brand ambassadors are experts in the brand they represent and are incredibly passionate about everything beauty, thriving on educating and connecting one on one to help guide customers to understand the ethos of the brand and find a product that fits perfectly into their lives.
“Events bring your customer community together as they get an opportunity to connect with the brand and learn more,” said Tucker. “Events create connections by educating the customer and providing
a signature experience that helps to drive brand loyalty. Retailers are seeing the impact of successful eventing and making sure to encourage brands to participate.”
Integration into a store experience addresses many problems facing brands today. “One of the biggest challenges a lot of brands face is driving brand awareness – events achieve this and much, much more,” said Aoun. “Events are an amazing platform to showcase a brand’s uniqueness, create brand loyalty and increase category market share, ultimately providing long-term payoff and creating an emotional connection to the brand.”
Tucker adds that the Beauty Barrage team has seen “customers more interested in events than ever. Customers love interacting with experts and finding new ways to solve a problem, new collaboration or have something fun to do while shopping.”
When working with a brand to execute an event, the Beauty Barrage team starts by defining what the goals are. Notably, Summers told FMG Studio that the most common goals brands have for events are sales and driving brand awareness. The team goes through an array of questions with the brand partner from asking whether a brand is launching for the first time, if they are seeking brand awareness or brand loyalty and what a new product launch schedule will look like. The team also considers budgets, setting expectations for event assets and execution.
Once a goal is set and a budget is established, Beauty Barrage’s events team advises on what type of event to focus on. Various events, including store-generated events, masterclasses, corporate events and blitzes, lead to different outcomes and it is important to align goals before launch.
“Events are not a one-size-fits-all experience,” said Summers. “Geared towards all different categories within the beauty space, we’ve seen successful events hosted across the spectrum – from brands who are new in-store officially launching, to seasoned brands who may have a new product launch, special promotion or just want to reengage the customer and further build awareness and loyalty.”
Summers told FMG Studio she has seen many avoidable mistakes made by brands, which first and foremost are due to a failure of adequate planning for the event. Common mistakes, she said, include not having clear communication and understanding of event expectations between a brand and the retailer, aligning on goals and not ensuring enough inventory to support the day.
When planning an event, the Beauty Barrage team counts education as critical on a variety of levels. Beauty Barrage’s expert team of brand ambassadors is diligent about educating the store team on both the brand and what the customer will experience the day of the event. The store team can become involved, inviting customers to the party by conveying the exciting activation they can expect. Further, Beauty Barrage’s expert team goes through specialized event training for optimal activation and customer experience.
“Our team is educated on the selling-story and better-together products,” said Aoun. “The right education can ensure profitable success the day of the event and beyond. The effects a brand can experience post-event are stronger partnerships with store associates. Your brand will typically be top of mind for a recommendation.”
Beauty Barrage and its brand partners have found that brand awareness and recall from customers who have purchased will likely lead to a repeat purchase and with the established connection, willingness to try other products within the brand.
Beauty Barrage’s philosophy of “evolve or die” means the company is always innovating, always improving and never resting on laurels. Consumer behaviors evolve and beauty brands need to be ready to adapt. In the spirit of elevating the game, the company’s events team continues to grow. Summers tells FMG Studio the Beauty Barrage team strives to outdo themselves each time and “what this means for events is crushing our brand partners goals.”
Putting Goals Into Actions
Beauty Barrage’s expert events team shares insights into selecting the right kind of event for any brand and goal.
The rise of events in-store has become a great tool for companies to introduce customers to a brand and provide something bigger than a discount — an experience!
Strategic sales partner, Beauty Barrage, known for delivering top-level full sales management for beauty brands, has been a key resource for brands looking to break through and excel at retail and today a key component to that in-store success is engaging the consumer through events. Beauty Barrage’s expert team helps brands to execute events successfully, creating strategies for specific goals and budgets that are right for the brand and the moment.
Events hold the opportunity to gain a deeper connection with customers who already know the brand as well as new customers looking for the right brand for them by educating shoppers about the brand and its products while also seamlessly bringing what they might know from social media in-person and fostering an emotional response.
While there are many different types of events that can be initiated, Sonia Summers, founder and chief executive officer of Beauty Barrage, said “it’s important to focus on the brand’s goals when creating the overall retail strategy.” Put simply, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to building a brand event.
To help brands understand what they can expect when approaching event planning, Brandon Tucker, beauty industry veteran and manager of events at Beauty Barrage, breaks down four event types.
Store Generated Events
A store-generated event occurs at just one store, independent of the retailer’s full chain. These events are typically arranged for one day but can also last several days with brand ambassadors engaging customers. There is a large educational proposition here, with both the store’s employees and customers learning more about the brand. Sales goals for a store-generated event can range from $500 at a small door to $2,500 depending on planned brand assets and execution.
Master Classes
A Masterclass event is hosted by one of Beauty Barrage’s master educators, an industry expert or a national makeup artist. These events hold the opportunity to gather a group of customers who want to learn more with a deep dive into a particular brand. The class brings an elevated, educational experience to the consumer and is held in either a classroom style or an audience-style setting. Products are demonstrated during the class which often consists of loyal brand customers.
Corporate Events
Unlike other events, dates and goals for corporate events are planned out by the retailer. These events typically take place over a series of locations and are promoted in-store, online and on social media.
Blitzes
Held in-store, blitzes are store takeovers that last over a few days or a weekend to take advantage of a key moment and get customers in stores. Brands could plan a blitz to promote the launch of a new product or share special offers and coupons.
Beauty Barrage’s 5 Keys to Mastering Events
1. Build Your Strategy
Ideate a signature experience that will be unique to your brand and stand out to the customers.
2. Mobilize an Educated Salesforce
Beauty Barrage makes certain that all brand ambassadors are well-equipped with all the knowledge on the brand ethos, ingredients, and notable facts to be credible in-store and service the customer appropriately.
3. Build a Real Budget
Make sure you bring your event to life with brand assets and goodies to engage the customer.
4. Create and Share the Blueprint
Execution is everything so share the plan and over-communicate. Make sure to get the retail staff’s buy-in!
5. Plan Your Inventory
Make sure you have enough on hand and work with the buying team to alert them on all event dates.