Page 80 - BWConfidential24

Digital Doing better websites The next steps How beauty brands and retailers can improve their websites and e-commerce business by Naomi Marcoulet number of innovative start-up A e-commerce sites have disrupted industry norms with special services and original content, which is likely to see others push the bar in how they conceive their websites and sell online. More investment and thought is also going into websites as they are a big infuencer for consumers who make purchases in stores. “Despite the growth in e-commerce, more than 90% of beauty is sold in stores. However, consumers come to stores armed with information and expectations that were set online,” confrms AT Kearney partner Hana Ben-Shabat. How can the industry do online better? Offering a good search capability and ease of navigation are crucial, explains Ben-Shabat. “Beauty is very complex and consumers need to easily fnd categories, brands, products, colors and prices,” she comments. credit: istock Content is king The importance of content is continually stressed by experts. “Content is every- “Site content is a big area of opportunity,” However, these tools are not always thing—consumers want to access relevant confrms digital research company L2 visible enough, say L2 analysts. Among the content that is either entertaining or analyst Guilia Prati. “Customers are using brands surveyed by L2 that have some kind informative (like help to solve a problem). sites for research even if they are not of interactive tool on-site, only 22% Content also needs to be refreshed buying the products online; they often integrate that tool in their primary regularly. In beauty, we have seen an research the products on the website navigation page, making it easy for visitors exponential rise in video content with ‘how before going to purchase it in a store.”In to discover, says Shen. “That just illustrates to ‘ videos showing make-up application beauty in particular, innovative content is a larger point where we think that there techniques or educating on skincare. coming in the form of diagnostic tools and needs to be a greater marriage between Adjacent content such as fashion topics virtual makeovers or quizzes for fnding the content and anything that is part of guided has been successful too,” says Ben-Shabat. best shades or textures. “A lot of beauty selling. Everything on the site should be Natural product brand Indie Lee, for brands are trying to translate the off-line geared towards helping consumers discover example, not only puts a strong focus on experiential aspect of beauty to an online products and pushing them down the publishing relevant content, but also helps environment, which admittedly is diffcult to purchase funnel. [It is important to] consumers research related topics. do,” comments L2 analyst Jenny Shen. integrate content like how-to videos, n n n 78 November-December 2015 - N°24 - BW Confidential