Market Scan
Beginner’s Mind Scan
A quick google search on Korea’s famous cosmetic brands brought up popular brand names such as Clio, Etude House, Peripera, IOPE, 3CE, MISSHA, Innisfree, Holika Holika, Kaja, TONY MOLY and many more.
Related articles: https://www.byrdie.com/korean-makeup-brands, https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/best-korean-makeup-brands/
Taking into consideration of bringing the in-store shopping experience to consumers online, I did another google search focusing on this touchpoint, filtering out brands that have carried out this initiatives digitally. These cosmetic brands include Maybelline, L’Oréal and Lancôme, making them our 3 main competitors that I will be focusing on.
Reviewing Competitors
- Maybelline, 2. L’Oréal and 3. Lancôme
1. Maybelline
https://www.maybelline.com/ and https://www.maybelline.com.sg/
Pros of Maybelline’s website:
- Virtual try-on function for their different products so consumers can try and see which colours or products fit them just like testing out products in physical shops.
- Foundation or concealer shade assessment function for users to select products of the right shades just like consulting makeup artists in physical shops on their skin tone.
- Detailed Makeup hacks and tips section to teach consumers how to use certain products to achieve the look that they want as if a makeup artist is teaching consumers how to achieve certain looks in physical shops.
- Reviews to show credibility of the products
Cons of Maybelline’s website:
- No purchasing (cart out) option, products are only available for consumers to view.
- Slightly cluttered layout (Image is too in your face)
- Typeface is too thin and tight kerning of certain words makes information hard to read.
2. L’Oréal
https://www.lorealparisusa.com/
Pros of L’Oréal’s website:
- Virtual try-on function for their different products so consumers can try and see which colours or products fit them just like testing out products in physical shops.
- Skincare analysis function just like consulting skincare experts in physical shops on the different types of skin type.
- Ingredients library section to educate consumers on certain ingredients in their products just like how some consumers are unclear of certain ingredients’ purpose and have to ask staff about it in physical shops.
- Questions and Answers segment for consumers to ask any questions regarding products.
Cons of L’Oréal’s website:
- Unappealing homepage design
- Redirects consumers to other sites to make a purchase (inconvenient)
- The Search and Hamburger buttons are slightly small and not aligned (phone version)
- Certain words are too tightly kerned (phone version)
3. Lancôme
https://www.lancome-me.com/
Pros of Lancôme’s website:
- Virtual try-on function for their different products so consumers can try and see which colours or products fit them just like testing out products in physical shops.
- Offers Skin tone assessment for users to know their shades just like consulting makeup artists in physical shops on their skin tone.
Cons of Lancôme’s website:
- Skin tone assessment function does not work at the final step
- Awkward layout of menu with excessive black space (phone version)
- Cluttered website layout with overly thin typeface (phone version)
- Phone website layout looks like a wireframe due to weird arrangement and grey lines
Scanning Customer Feedback
1. Maybelline
- 3.5/5 for ratings on MakeupAlley
- Generally positive interactions and feedbacks on Instagram
- Many Youtube review videos on their products
2. L’Oréal
- 3.6/5 for ratings on MakeupAlley
- Generally positive feedbacks and interactions on Instagram until the recent boycotting of Amber Heard (L’Oréal’s brand ambassador) due to her and Johnny Depp’s defamation case.
- Mixture of self-published Youtube videos and customer review videos
3. Lancôme
- 3.8/5 for ratings on MakeupAlley
- Generally supportive feedbacks and interactions on Instagram
- A few Youtube review videos on their products and there’s barely any review videos now as compared to back then.
