Beauty and personal care has become the next big thing in e-commerce. Macy’s Beauty Box is a monthly subscription service and entry into the subscription model popular with Macy's target demographic: Millenials. Each month five deluxe beauty samples, one bonus item, a collectible cosmetics bag, and a $5 beauty coupon exclusively for Beauty Box subscribers is delivered to customers who opt in for a $15 fee.
My involvement with this project started in Q1 2016 and continued until Q1 2019. Initial product launch was Q3 2017.
I remain a consultant on this Product for video integration and special content initives such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and other technologies interacting with Beauty.
Create a successful e-commerce platform with a fresh look, feel and user experience. The web experience must explore new concepts and user experiences that will transform the consumer journey on the flagship online store.
Direct-to-consumer (or D2C) companies are a new threat to Macy's marketshare. D2C brands can experiment with distribution models from shipping directly to consumers at a much faster pace and turnaround than Macy's, D2C brands can quickly form partnerships with physical retailers, and/or open pop-up shops with unparalleled flexability.
Macy’s wanted to compete and leverage its vast retail network in this emerging market with its own network of brands. Focus was on broad areas where these companies set themselves apart — in their design, how they launch, the customer experience they build, and how they market themselves. Following the customer experience and reviews helped access pathways and pitfalls and insight on how to best approach the Macy's model.
Macy’s Beauty Box is a monthly subscription service which also promotes the flagship store's Beauty Experience. Before launching Beauty Box in Hearld Square, a hallway was set up as a pop-up beauty retail experience to catch new customers, their feedback, and as market research for which products would be best to include in the Beauty Box Product and capture data on the target market.
In 2015, the American beauty industry in the accounted for $32 billion, or 8% of all sales in e-commerce with 70%, the vast majority of online shoppers choosing to purchase beauty products through retailers like Macy's.
Enhancing product merchandising with additional collateral, such as videos, content, UGC, etc, extends the reach of the product. Video’s influence remains in full force when it comes to the Beauty segment. Research helped influence building a monthly video experience for beauty box. YouTube boasts more than two million UGC beauty videos in English, half dedicated to makeup. YouTube videos create brand awareness and an easy path to purchase: 23% of beauty shoppers indicate that video specifically plays a vital role in their purchasing decisions. In comparison to earned media, brand-owned content requires extensive paid support to achieve a satisfactory fraction of the views that vloggers command organically. A strong video strategy is necessary.
Macy's utilizes its data of multi-channel attribution modeling and user-based visitor segmentation to create targeted personas.
Create a successful e-commerce platform with a fresh look, feel and user experience. The web experience must explore new concepts and user experiences that will transform the consumer journey on the flagship online store.
There are two production versions of the entry page: the first approach focusing on subscribers and users who will be wait-listed when the program is full and a second version for new subscribers with a monthly view showing past boxes and outlining the subscription process. Content is to be dynamic and refreshed outside normal Creative and Code release calendars. This required a new internal system and design to work with legacy technologies and limitations.
AR try-on tools, which also will be available as in-store beauty displays in select stores, have become a popular way for cosmetics brands to market products to mobile customers.
Marketing copy for May 2019: We’re getting ready for summer and clean skin is a non-negotiable necessity. So, we’re here for you with goodies for a fresh face and a flawless, summer-ready look.
The May 2019 box will include:At first I was disappointed with this month’s Beauty Box, but I really changed my mind after trying the products. That Korres cleanser is on the way to becoming HG for me, it’s amazingly gentle and super effective at removing makeup without pulling at the skin. I liked the ‘fresh and clean’ bag so much, it’s now in my gym bag! -@luckykitty99 May 2019