Beautiful minds.

A woman is very selective about her health and beauty products, but once she chooses a product she also tends to be fiercely loyal. A cosmetics manufacturer recognizes the value and importance of investing in market and consumer research before finalizing development of its new cosmetics line.

OBJECTIVES

Three key objectives are set:

1. Identify and develop insights around the health and beauty industry.
Assess the current environment as well as potential shifts and future trends.

2. Develop a detailed persona for each valid target consumer of the future.
The profile of a woman in each target consumer group includes a narrative identifying her attitudes, beliefs, pet peeves, response to messaging and design, expectations from a brand experience, media habits, and decision making habits.

3. Analyze the omni-channel experience for each consumer of the future.
Take steps to understand her live and purchasing behavior both culturally and generationally.

SERVICES

For this project, the primary service required is:

Research Services (link to more info below)

Quality research is the foundation on which successful marketing decisions are made.  The Research Services contract is tailored to the specific project objectives to create a comprehensive base of knowledge.

For this project, it is crucial to understand future consumer groups’ thought processes and views on cosmetics and cosmetics brands. This requires a wide range of research techniques (see METHODOLOGIES listed below) to fully gauge consumers’ emotional responses.

In addition to Research Services, this project also requires:

Advisory Services (link to more info below)

Using data and insights gained through the research, the most profitable and loyal customers for the new cosmetics line are identified. These customer profiles are then used to help company leaders and decision makers understand the ecosystem and how it is likely to change in the next 2-10 years.   The advisory team helps create enlightenment into who the consumers of the future are and how they will use new technology when considering new products. Advisory Services also includes recommendations to executive leadership on brand positioning, consumer experience, competitive advantage, and other ongoing business decisions.

• Work with team members to create new displays and in-store experiences that will resonate with the consumer of the future.
• Use the pet peeves that research uncovered to help staff address product challenges or quality issues to maintain customer satisfaction levels.
• Re-create the customer experience and run a virtual test market to help staff see first-hand how consumers are shopping and using the product.

METHODOLOGIES

A combination of traditional research techniques and custom solutions are required:

• • Ecosystem and Predictive Framework
    A variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques are used to visualize what the industry will look like. More importantly, how the company’s strategic segments will change inside the futuristic ecosystem.

• • Quantitative Attitude, Usage and Pet Peeves Study
    Research performed in a person’s natural surroundings gives researchers context and information not found in a clinical setting. A large-scale A &U Study is conducted to chart the attitudes and usage habits of much larger groups of consumers and to better identify needs gaps on a national scale.

• • Shop-Along Trips
    The research team passively follows each participant on a 2-hour category and product search during which they record reactions to products, experiences, what they like/want, etc.

• • Ethnographic Lifestyle Immersions
    To truly understand the mindset of the company’s target consumers and gain the deepest possible level of understanding of women’s pet peeves, preferences, and purchasing behaviors, the research team “immerses” itself in each participant’s lifestyle. This includes thorough inventories of their bathrooms and purses, interviews with their friends about their clothing and cosmetics preferences, and more.
  • X-Periential Research Panel
    New users are predicted and surveyed as part of a nationwide panel to identify potential early adopters of the new cosmetics line.

RESULTS

(Due to the confidential nature of research projects and client agreements in force, specific results cannot be shared. Outcomes have been synthesized based on an amalgam of results from similar projects.)

The company gains a thorough understanding of how the health and beauty industry is changing. It knows how best to launch a new cosmetics line and what the consumer will want – both now and in the future. Research gives the company data and insights to drive growth by appealing to different cultures and generations. Its staff now has a better understanding of its brand and its customer, which enables the company to more accurately profile the customers and recommend what is most likely going to be important to them. In addition, at the time the new product is taken to market, the message, packaging and media habits are spot-on for reaching the target market and entirely consistent with the brand.