It's no secret that the beauty industry is in a transition. There are many different factors that are affecting the turbulence of the business. One of those is customers wearing less makeup. This goes hand-in-hand with the wellness movement. The better we feel about ourselves, the less we feel the need to wear full face makeup every day. Less makeup used = less makeup purchased = declining sales. On the flip side, skincare has seen at a steady growth, which also goes hand-in-hand with feeling good about yourself. The more we want to take better care of our self, the more we purchase skincare. More self-care = more skincare purchased = increase sales.
There are certainly enough purchasing artists that take their makeup application VERY seriously, but that is not the majority of makeup wearers and not enough to lift up an entire industry. Perhaps beauty companies need to start talking about makeup from a ritual perspective to customers. Tribal, celebratory and more about the experience of adornment, rather than covering something up.
The salesperson approach has to shift from 'selling' someone on features and benefits to how a product is going to make you 'feel'.
With all the influencers and makeup artists now, have some of us lost sight of the enjoyment of makeup? Makeup is meant to be fun. Using makeup honors a place in ourselves that is playful and sometimes mysterious. The ability to take on a different persona by adding a black eyeliner or a bold red lip. It's an expression of ancient ritual, even in it's simplest form. You don't have to be technically proficient to enjoy the adornment of makeup.
Furthermore, if we are going to improve, advance and reimagine our selling techniques, then we also need to change our hiring techniques.
Companies have to get in front of the makeup trends and start to lead the conversation instead of scrambling behind influencers. Creating a more intimate and authentic connection with their customers is a good place to start or they will stumble and fall out of relevance.