Dissertation

As demonstrated below, the cosmetics and skincare industries are a heavily saturated area;
meaning there is little room for new products. However, when focusing on technology-based retail
and brand experiences, there is room for further innovation. This demonstrates a clear gap in the
industry, that a new beauty brand could address in the UK.
[Fig 37] Perceptual Map (2016).
The wealth of products already on
the market means it could be worth
considering alternative ideas, such as
introducing a new platform. Creating
a platform that sells multiple brands
and products could provide the best
solution for targeting women over
40. There already services like this
out there, such as Beauty Bay and
Feel Unique; however, both of these
are purely online platforms with no
physical store. These brand are also
both aimed at a younger, millennial
consumer; meaning they may be
failing to harness the potential of
targeting an older consumer basis.
This brand model would combine the
ease of online, where you can compare
multiple products, with the physical
experience of a store; this may be
the phygital experience missing from
today’s high streets.
Creating a platform that sells multiple
brands may also help to draw in
their existing, loyal customers, who are perhaps just
looking for the extra service or new approach that this
platform offers. The primary research questionnaire
indicated that 74.5% of respondents agreed that they
are loyal to the brands they like and consequently
repurchase from these brands (Appendix F.2). The
same participants also highlighted customer service
(84.3%), waiting time (68.6%), range of choice (76.4%)
and memorable experience (17.6%) as their 4 most
important aspects of a positive in-store experience
(Appendix F.2). Selling multiple brands under one
roof is also perhaps the most sustainable model for
a brand to follow within the current retail landscape;
department stores are showing great growth at the
moment, as Charles Barker, managing director of the
Northallerton Barkers department store, discusses
“It’s very convenient to customers to have such a lot
of things under one roof” (Bearne, S. 2016). Maureen
Hinton, group research director at retail consultancy
Conlumino seconds this, stating that “department
stores have the ability to flex their ranges and give
space to the sectors and brands that offer the most
growth opportunities” and “this means they can tap
into consumer trends and react far quicker than own
brand stores” (Bearne, S. 2016).
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