How L’Oréal React to Coronavirus Pandemic?
“We stand in solidarity with the brave people who are tirelessly and selflessly working to end this pandemic, and it is our hope that, through these actions, we are able to provide some relief during this challenging time.” — L’Oréal
As the coronavirus pandemic brings the economy to a grinding halt across North America and Europe, L’Oréal is one of many beauty business that will be facing months of lost sales and basic questions about their supply chains and ability to fulfill orders. Potential customers are stuck at home, and many have had their pay cut or were laid off. Spending on discretionary items — beauty products among them — is expected to plunge.
Let’s See What’s L’Oréal’s Responses to COVID-19
- Donating $250,000 to the US hunger relief organization Feeding America to provide emergency support for their COVID-19 Response Fund and help relieve food-insecure families across America.
- Making a donation of care products valued at more than $1 million, including cleansers and moisturizers, to the non-profit organization Feed the Children as part of community-based emergency react to COVID-19.
- Having its production facilities produce alcohol-based hand sanitizer to be provided free of charge to US employees, partners and healthcare professionals working on the frontlines of this emergency.
- Donating protective masks from its operations facilities in North Little Rock, Arkansas and Franklin, New Jersey, to local hospital systems in each surrounding community.
- Starting to communicate with customers including listen to concerns and provide contents through this period by social media, like Instagram.
Definitely the coronavirus pandemic is a disaster to every business owner, but the reaction to the disaster determines who will survive. L’Oréal’s quick and sound reaction, including donation, hand sanitizer production and continuing its communication with customers through online platforms , sets a good example to its peers in beauty industry.
More Authentic or Not?
Some other cosmetic brands, like Bobbi Brown and Nars, simply show no react to this pandemic. However, L’Oréal has unveiled a multi-faceted initiative showing more earnest through these measures. All the methods not only present more social responsibility of L’Oréal, but also leave a trustful impression for its target customers.
A New Persona of L’Oréal
In reaction to COVID-19 , L’Oréal have made some changes to its voice. Firstly, through social platform, L’Oréal began to shorten the distance between itself and customers. Customers can leave message like how to choose the color of foundation and wait L’Oréal to answer then order cosmetics online. As you can imagine, this way helps L’Oréal build a persona that prefer to shop through Internet, instead of brick-and-mortar shops. What’s more, L’Oréal’s new production line of alcohol-based hand sanitizers starts a new voice for high-need groups and populations, including front-line medical staff.
In the Long Run
Depending on the product category, e-commerce sales may increase as consumers are stuck home and online shopping becomes recreational. For the long term effect, L’Oréal chose to communicate with customers by social platform to offset some lost business through e-commerce sales. Moreover, Social responsibility is the core of a company’s foothold. L’Oréal’s prompt corporate donations and production of alcoholic hand sanitizers can not only increase corporate social responsibility and consumer trust in the long run, but also increase the company’s goodwill, allowing customers to give priority to L’Oréal when choosing similar cosmetic products.
