The Curious Mom

Despite the widespread uncertainty in so many retail sectors, things in the cosmetics business haven’t been brighter in a long time. According to The NPD Group, a major market research firm, beauty businesses accounted for 45 percent of all gains last year.

The cosmetics industry is expected to dominate the retail industry for the next several years. This means that, at least for the next few years, it couldn’t be a better time to get into the market. Don’t waste time, however, between product development and cosmetic product testing. It all takes time that someone could be enjoying the fruits of their labors. Study up on these nine items and you could be doing just that.

If you want to sell someone a product, you need to know what they want. It’s also critical that you understand trends to see things on the cosmetics horizon. It is only then that you can anticipate products that customers want.

What kind of personality do you want your product to have? Sweet? Sassy? It all makes a difference and appeals to different groups in different ways.

It’s essential that you know what impression your product gives your customers, and that that impression is what they want to come away with. This affects much more than the product, however. For example, many customers care about products' social and environmental impact, something you will need to make sure the products engage.

Don’t enter the cosmetics market without adding some kind of value to your products—something other firms don’t have. For example, there are many cosmetics products on the market. Still, if you decide to differentiate your brand from others, it would be ideal to show how your product is specially designed for particular groups, such as those with darker skin.

To ensure the success of cosmetics products, each one must undergo product testing. This is done to ensure the products are safe and ready for consumer use.

After all of your products are determined to be safe, the FDA must also approve of them. Do not use ingredients that are not approved.

Nobody ever sold a cosmetics product that didn’t have an attractive package. This goes not only for the product itself but for the entire line of packages and collateral materials. They must all appear that they are for the same product family.

The digital age has allowed customers to shop virtually anywhere. This includes not only online but in brick-and-mortar shops as well. A website should be something that is created early in the product’s life. From there, brick-and-mortar stores should be in a product’s media mix.

For the past several years, technology has played a significant part in selling cosmetics. For example, several cosmetics stores are using virtual demonstrations to sell products. With these kiosks, customers can see products in use on the images without applying the cosmetics to their skin.

It’s important to remember that customers don’t care about products. What customers care about is how they experience those products. That is why so many cosmetics firms spend money providing consultants to sell products to better the experiences customers have.