The Digital Customer Experience for Beauty: A Look to the Future
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the digital customer experience of beauty. Or, more specifically, about what this will look like with the ever-changing online landscape.
Although it’s impossible to nail down exactly what the future looks like, I wanted to sit down and talk about my expectations. Based on what I’ve learned over my many years in the beauty retail space, as well as some recent explorations with clients into how they can improve their customer experience, I believe that positive digital customer experiences of the future will be characterised by three things:
Community
All things social
Content as king (or queen!)
However the modern customer chooses to shop, they want research! We’re all guilty of gathering opinions and seeking ways to validate our purchases from others. Friends, influencers, digital connections: We build our opinion of a brand based on their opinions!
With so many purchases being researched online before the actual event of purchasing, how can we harness this?
One huge trend to keep an eye on is gamification or, “the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity” (Source). For example, I was recently invited to watch a video on Facebook with my friends, where we could then choose who to add to the group and chat about the video as it played.
It reminds me of having my first mobile phone when we planned group calls, mobile to one ear and landline to the other! How times have changed...
It’s only a matter of time until the beauty industry is gamified in a similar way. When will we be able to watch beauty tutorials, view the different products mentioned and get our friends’ opinion on which is the best lipstick for us based on an augmented reality impression? Will we then be able to click to purchase with immediate delivery (by drones), without leaving a mutual circle of friends?
China is already ahead of the game, with online experiences like WeChat Commerce: “mobile-optimised digital stores created for WeChat using third-party interfaces, mini-apps or integration with existing mobile commerce functionality.” (Business of Fashion). Plus, the likes of Sephora have incredibly advanced loyalty programmes that integrate online and in-store data. It’s all a sign that the online customer experience is moving. And quickly!
Gamification is coming as a way to build a more social, connected and content-focused beauty industry. Who will get there first? Watch this space!
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