UK women turn to brands for online beauty tips

This is the finding of a new report produced by Imogen Matthews Associated (IMA), which looks to research carried out with One Poll, to determine the digital beauty habits of 1,000 women in the UK.

The poll forms part of the Ominchanel report​, which analyses the findings from the poll to determine women’s tracks in the fast-changing beauty retail world.

The complexity of the omnichannel​ 

Indeed, where the omnichannel has come to define the emergence of e-commerce, social media and in-store retail platforms, the report stresses how complex, yet interrelated the merger of these retail channels has become. 

It also stresses how inter-dependent each of the elements are that make up the user journey and how influences from the different area can create a very rich tapestry to inform the consumer and help them arrive at their final purchasing decision.

This the first time IMA has tackled this area, and the authors also claim that its publication is a first of its kind to tackle what the omnichannel means for the beauty industry.

You Tube vlogger influence​

You Tube beauty vloggers such as Michelle Phan, Tanya Burr and Zoella have all gathered millions of global followers and have helped put many smaller beauty brands on the map.

You Tube has become a reference point for many women in the all-important 18 – 35 age category, but one of the underlying characteristics of the millennial consumer is that they have little brand loyalty and will shift between information sources or brands at the blink of an eye.

Indeed, IMA’s research shows that, while the You Tube digital stars are big influencers, brands are still crucial influencers. 

But brands are the biggest influencers​

“It’s where women expect to find reliable beauty product information straight from the horse’s mouth,”​ says Imogen Matthews, founder of IMA and author of the report, which has been compiled with communications agency Pegasus.

The fact that women still rely on brands as the ultimate decision factor in their beauty purchasing process underlines how complex the equation can be and just how strategic beauty brands have to be to successfully tackle the omnichannel. 

“The beauty industry has some catching up to do in the area of omnichannel, not least in understanding that every part of a brand’s business needs to be connected. Consumers expect to move seamlessly between different channels and will abandon brands that don’t offer that experience,”​ said Matthews.