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INDUSTRY INSIGHT BEAUTY’S ABOUT-FACE THROUGH RADICAL REINVENTION Walking the line between innovative and essential is our challenge in the beauty industry today. CBy Mintel Associate Director Beauty and Personal Care South APAC Sharon Kwek. hange was the only constant last year when every element of our lifestyles readjusted. The hint of uncertainty – appropriate for the unprecedented times we’re going through – has given rise to many ‘what’s next?’ questions, often answered with wild opinions. For our look at 2021 beauty trends, Mintel examined four consumer behaviour drivers – technology, surroundings, wellbeing and value – considering the emotions and micro needs that prompt buying. These will prove to have an essential influence on our industry in the inevitable return to ‘normal’. Tailored technological opportunities Three years ago, Mintel launched its ‘private eye’ trend, forecasting that motion tracking, technology and data exchange would continue to escalate within the beauty industry. These were predicted to add a richer layer of interaction to online and offline shopping and sampling. The technological shift goes beyond omnichannel experiences and devices. From a retail perspective, redesigning touchpoints will be a constant challenge to beauty companies even without the backdrop of a pandemic. In retail’s striving digital battlefield, the number of e-commerce sites is rapidly growing, with live streaming videos and many new influencers vying for a share of voice in an overwhelming industry. The future of retail will consist entirely of digital real estate – one that brings social commerce, merchants, retailers, advertisers together in one place. We’re working to create a complete ecosystem that includes product discovery and is both seamless and smart, tapping into one another’s established network of services and consumers. It will be a joint effort from all beauty players to offer a true seamless shopping experience, as opposed to what we have now: standalone sites and individual brand sites. Don’t underestimate the power of scent and sound in beauty, both of which will impact technology and wellbeing. Haptic technology, will reignite senses – and while still not yet seen in beauty, it will aid the redesign of retail touchpoints. This will enable how both physical as well as digital retail will redesign how we see, touch, feel and smell. Often, beauty is seen – via the colours, the ambassador images and the text in communications – but the world doesn’t want to only see beauty. Brands are challenged to elicit new layers of emotions that will also allow consumers to hear beauty. Sound isn’t limited to brand communications. It’s also involved in creating the measurable layers of mind- body connectedness that will support wellbeing, applying greater precision to beauty solutions in future. Self-made consumer networks The relationship between people and spaces has shifted, with greater consideration of the planet and our community. While the lack of global travel has disconnected consumers from the rest of the world, it has brought about 22 RETAIL WORLD MAY, 2021