Sulwhasoo’s Website Reblooms with the Brand?
Have you ever heard of Sulwhasoo? Obviously, many of us have only paid attention to this brand after Rosé was chosen as the brand’s global ambassador. However, Sulwhasoo is a long-standing and famous cosmetic brand from South Korea, specializing in combining traditional herbs and modern skin care science. This brand has been in existence since 1932 and has over 90 years of experience in developing beauty products.
Previously, Sulwhasoo was labeled as a product only for mothers, targeting customers over 35 years old, focusing on anti-aging features for mothers and grandmothers. Therefore, the brand had difficulties conveying their brand message to young customers, especially Millennials and Gen Z. Sulwhasoo’s latest campaign Rebloom with Rosé in 2022 along with the digital transformation plan to reach the Millennials and Gen Z community. In addition, the brand launched a more sophisticated and modern design for its signature product line, First Care Activating Serum. This turning point not only helps Sulwhasoo reposition towards the younger customer base but also targets a broader market outside of Asia.
Now, we will evaluate the brand’s official website to see if the user experiences the website brings is consistent with the brand message or not.
Starting point
First, when customers click on the link to open Sulwhasoo’s official website in the US, a pop-up will appear to offer customers a mysterious offer after they fill in their email information to unlock. They will then be directed to the website’s homepage with the two main colors orange and white, which are also the representative colors of the brand. At the very beginning, customers will see three slides for hero images with online executive for best-selling products, gift sets and new products with Rosé images.
In general, the layout of the website is quite neat and clear. Below the brand name on the homepage is a navigation menu to the brand’s product lines, routine finder, offer, reward and brand introduction. Then, there are hero images, recommended products sets, solutions for each skin related problem, holiday set, and information about global ambassadors. At the bottom of the homepage is other information such as Sign Up or Links to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Every coin has its two sides, Sulwhasoo’s website also has both good and bad sides. Now, we will go through every factor to get an insight into how to create the best UX.
On the bright side
Let’s review what Sulwhasoo has done so far for their website from my point of view as an audience. One of Sulwhasoo’s most significant recent changes is its rebranding campaign to reach a younger and broader customer base. Almost all the features on the website are relevant with the message that the brand wants to convey. The website not only introduces the products but also tells the brand’s stories, the brand’s traditions and of course also reflects the brand’s rebranding campaign. In particular, 100% the product images on the website have been replaced with the new packaging, putting images of Rosé — brand’s global ambassador to the most prominent positions such as hero images. Moreover, the overall design of the website is good and consistent with the modern and elegant image of the brand. The two main colors of the website are the brand’s orange and white. While orange symbolizes youthfulness and friendliness, white stands for simplicity and cleanliness, which is in line with the image of the brand.
Another good point of Sulwhasoo’s website is that it is user-centered. It has invested in providing visual and efficient user experience. The content is presented and navigated in a neat, simple, and easy-to-use way and all the unnecessary elements are minimized. Besides, it offers suggestions on solutions for each skin type and holiday sets for special occasions with specific and vivid illustrations.
All of the above factors have contributed to helping the brand increase awareness, the number of young customers, and sales.
On the downside
Although Sulwhasoo’s website has more pros than cons, there is still room for improvement to make their website better. Regarding responsive design and ease of conversion, overall performance and speed index of both mobile and desktop websites are quite low. This negatively affects the user experience. Besides, there is a bug in the payment method when checking out. Specifically, the first time when I checked out, both the desktop and mobile version of the website only showed PayPal as the payment method. However, the next day when checking out, all other payment methods were displayed: credit card, PayPal, Google Pay, Meta Pay, and Shop Pay.
Second, I am quite surprised to see there was no integration of AI or chatbots on the US version of Sulwhasoo’s website. On the other hand, I tried the Vietnam version of Sulwhasoo’s website and there are chatbots there. I believe that if there is interaction through AI or chatbots on the website, it will help customers have a better impression of both the website and the brand.
Final destination
Overall, the user experience on Sulwhasoo’s website is quite good with careful investment in design, images, and content. However, the brand should improve responsive design and integrate more AI into the website to increase interaction.
From a personal perspective, I appreciate the product rebranding strategy as well as the corresponding changes on the website to coordinate with the campaign. I believe that these factors have helped the brand increase sales from young customers, which is consistent with the goals the brand has set.
