How LUSH Adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic in their Digital Mkt
LUSH is a bath, body, skin and haircare company devoted to creating fresh, ethically-sourced, cruelty-free, vegetarian, handmade, low-waste and effective products.
Have you ever been to LUSH store? if yes, I believe it was an unforgettable memory not only for your sensory stimuli but also for visual shock. The way that they display, the color assortment, the amazing smells of the Avobath bath bomb, Karma soap, and Vanillary perfume, or the ability to sample the brand’s cruelty-free products, It definitely will not let you forget your visit.
So, when the global COVID-19 pandemic first arrived in United States, LUSH decided to transform one of its iconic in-store features into a public service for anyone passing by: free hand washing. Although masks and social distance have become the safest possible guidelines for people, the main rule was to wash your hands frequently.But, in the next day LUSH was forced to close its stores as the world went into lockdown. For such an experiential brand, no physical store means they had to think quickly about how to engage customers online.
HOW LUSH Adapted it
Benedicte Jeulin, Digital Marketing Manager at LUSH said
Laure Hessin, Search Marketing Specialist at LUSH said “Because of COVID, shoppers are thinking and buying with a digital-first mindset.” Therefore, For brands facing similar challenges,The primary goal is to make your products discoverable online and to optimize your website for a user experience. Then, contact with the customer and get feedback to improve their online experience and increase retention.
Under this pandemic, LUSH focused on a seamless customer experience. According to the report, “Lush used the Yext platform to make more than 18,000 critical updates to the brand list (March 2020 to June 2020). This number includes more than 11,000 updates to LUSH core business information, such as storage time, more than 4,800 structured data updates, including product information, and approximately 1,500 brand asset updates, such as business descriptions and location photos.”
MY OPINION
I think they did a great job on transform their marketing plans from offline to online. In the past, I believe more people would spontaneously visit the stores because they want to try different products and smell the difference between them, so do I. However, under this pandemic people changed the way they shop before. LUSH decided to update their website platform and created buy online and pickup in-store options on its website. It’s a very smart and correct decision.
LONG-TERM EFFECT
For such an experiential brand, the main effect is people can not touch the product, smell the product. It will reduce experience feeling. BUT, Actually, LUSH was already work on this problem. They created a new session on their website called VIRTUAL CONSULTATION & VIRTUAL PARTY. Which means, people can start a video-consultation online & chat with their expert staff for free. Their marketing department completed the great strategy to deal all possible effect under this pandemic. I believe LUSH will continue to succeed and move forward in the future!
