Beautycounter: To app, or not to app?
These days, it feels like beauty brands are almost like Starbucks in NYC- everywhere you look, there is a new brand popping up. Legacy brands, such as Neutrogena, which I am studying as part of my final project, are having to raise the bar to compete with new indie brands, such as Glossier. “Clean” beauty is having a moment too, setting the bar even higher as consumers become more knowledgeable about what is going into their products.
One newer brand, Beautycounter, was founded with the goal to lead the charge on making “all beauty clean beauty”. While their founder, Gregg Renfrew, worked to spread the word on clean beauty and led the charge on Capitol Hill, the brand needed to create a core consumer base, an innovative marketing plan, and a strong presence on social. Enter, their app.
Shockingly, most of the smaller, newer beauty brands- yes, even the digital-savvy ones like Glossier and Drunk Elephant- do not have apps. You have to go to the legacy brands like Neutrogena and L’Oreal if you want to peruse your products in a digital-friendly way. Beautycounter is different. Let’s explore and rank the features of the app, shall we?
Ranking: Attributes can gain or lose up to 5 points based on how prominent & important the feature is to the app.
The Positives:
It’s Useful: You can browse products easily by category, check the status of your order, and purchase products directly from the app, without having to go to the site. It also has a shade finder, which I was especially excited about. One of the biggest parts of online shopping that I always struggle with is purchasing beauty products that require shade matching, like foundation and concealer. I typically go in-store to try testers, but due to COVID, that possibility is likely gone for the foreseeable future. Beautycounter’s shade finder feature allows you to compare their different shades to your own skin tone. As usefulness is one of the cornerstones of a good app, I give this +5 points.
It’s Nice to Look At: With clear tabs on the bottom, I was able to navigate the app easily within a few seconds of downloading it. It had a clean black and white design that matches their logo, which I found aesthetically pleasing. Since I have seen one too many apps that look cluttered and hard to look at, I give this +3 points.
Now, The Negatives:
It Lacks Innovation: Despite the shade finder feature, the app lacked innovation. The feature didn’t use any Augmented Reality, so instead of scanning your skin and then recommending a shade, it simply compared your skin to the different color blocks of shades on the app. I felt this was a real missed opportunity, but something they could work towards in the future to upgrade to. Since they are a growing brand and I view this as an opportunity for them, I give this -3 points.
It Wasn’t Fully Optimized: The app allowed you to click to some of their pages on the website, such as their list of ingredients and their mission statement but did not optimize these pages for the app, instead directing you to the web. Since they do provide links to these pages, I won’t dock them too much, giving it -2 points.
Loyalty Benefits Were Confusing: While I have not made a purchase, the app did not disclose any loyalty benefits to those that shop regularly or to entice me as a new customer. Shopbop’s app, for example, as a tab discussing loyalty benefits, even without signing in. I did, however, receive a 20% off coupon to my email within minutes of signing up on the app, although it would have been even better if it popped up directly within the app itself. Again, as they provided the discount via email I won’t dock too much for this, giving it -2 points.
Overall Ranking: +1
So to app, or not to app? That is the question.
At the end of the day, a consumer that is loyal to a brand will want to shop the brand in the easiest way possible. I, for example, have the Sephora and Shopbop apps on my phone since those are two of my favorite stores to shop. For a Beautycounter fan, the app is worth having on their phone as you can easily shop the products with the click of a button. It will keep the consumer engaged as they can scroll new arrivals and read about their favorite products anytime, anywhere. That being said, a new consumer may want to save the space on their phone. If Beautycounter is able to optimize the app and add in some innovation, it would be worth it for a new consumer to start there. Until then, you can catch me, a new consumer, “not apping” but rather exploring the site to decide if I will make a purchase.
