Across the Internet, aestheticians, makeup artists, hair stylists and beauty educators are holding consultations, classes and beauty confabs. And while the explosion in online activity was born out of necessity from the coronavirus pandemic, the popularity of such events — including a boost in sales and increased conversion rates — means most brands will continue doing them in a post-crisis world.
Gretchen Saegh-Fleming, chief marketing officer of L’Oréal USA, said that across the company’s portfolio, brands were growing their digital presence. Color & Co., the at-home customized hair color kit that launched last May, has seen a tenfold increase in sales and 25 times the volume of requests for digital color consultations, for one. Meanwhile, NYX Professional Makeup’s Instagram franchise, “The Livebeat,” featuring a live makeup tutorial, had about 4,000 people for the 45-minute class.
“We’re doing a lot to service consumers,” said Saegh-Fleming. “We want to meet them where they are.” Saegh-Fleming sees the digital boom as a post-quarantine mainstay, both for L’Oréal and the industry as a whole. “Some of this is going to become the new normal expectations for consumers,” she said. “People are getting used to taking livestreamed yoga classes instead of going to the gym. Maybe it wasn’t part of people’s routines before, but it definitely will going forward.”
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