At VibrantNation.com, we recently surveyed the 60,000 Vibrant Women (smart, successful women 50+) who receive our newsletter and visit our website weekly on the way they buy beauty products and
services. This survey confirmed that these Boomer women may be the "last consumer standing" in hard times. Fifty-nine percent of respondents told us that they are willing to pay more for
higher quality ingredients in beauty products even during the current economic climate.
Even more surprising were their responses about where they are buying most of their beauty
products.
• Sixty-seven percent of them said that they were buying most of their beauty products from stores that typically sell higher-priced items: beauty stores,
department stores and online retailers.
• The 2nd most popular source for beauty products is not department stores, or beauty stores, but online retailers. Twenty-eight percent of
respondents said that they purchase most of their beauty products online.
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What are they paying more for? Almost half of respondents (48%) said that her biggest beauty
investment/extravagance is anti-aging moisturizer. Now I understand why every major cosmetics company has launched or purchased at least one of these product brands.
When we asked them what
made them pay more for certain cosmetic products, 36% said they would spend more on hypoallergenic products; an additional 32% said they would pay for products with anti-oxidants.
Where are they shopping online and why
In a follow-up question to our members, we asked where they buy cosmetics and why. Among the many, many answers, here
are a couple of interesting examples:
• I like use Sephora.com for the range of products they carry, the samples they include with your order and the ability to return
online purchases at their local store.
• I buy my favorite makeup brands on e-bay. E-bay sellers can only sell new makeup so everything is new.
• I found Lily's
Apothecary in Plymouth, Mass., and now won't go anywhere else!
• I LOVE to shop.elizabetharden.com! Not only do they have a fabulous assortment of cosmetics, but their skin care
lines are primo!
What does this mean for marketers?
While beauty companies are better than others at recognizing the importance of
Boomer women consumers, they should pay close attention to the important shifts this survey reveals.
First, continue marketing to the Vibrant Woman's desire for high-value beauty
products. She will continue to pay more for them if you speak to her desire for healthier, more youthful skin. And she is probably spending more money on cosmetics than you thought.
Second,
speak to her -- and sell to her -- online. We know that Vibrant Women view bricks-and-mortar retail (especially the department store) as an inherently hostile environment. For that reason, she is
turning rapidly to websites for her higher-value beauty needs. Make those websites creative and interactive, and engage other Boomer women to tell their peers why they love your products.
Conclusion
Vibrant Women want to look as great as they feel, even as their skin changes.
Cosmetics companies will succeed with them if they:
• Recognize the willingness of Vibrant Women to pay more for products that meet their needs;
• Use them to refer each other to your products; and
• Sell to them online. Create robust, interactive websites full of the information they seek.
If you offer them deals and great service, they will buy
premium cosmetics online.