Where Australians will shop for Christmas, Cosmetics among the top 10 most bought commodities in Australia, YouCam app fingers the 12 major selfie personalities, and L'Oreal Paris to debut one-size-fits-all skincare for all ages and ethnicities.
Where Australians will shop for Christmas
A meeting with a leading beauty PR last week yielded an undisputable truth - No one leaves Kmart without buying something, she observed. Close enough, reveals a new report from Roy Morgan Research. In an average four week period - 22.6 per cent of the population (3.6 million) buys something from Kmart. Just a nose in front of Target - 19.5 per cent (3.1 million) and Big W at 18.9 per cent ( 3 million).
Low prices are a major reason behind the trio's popularity, but the deciding factor is: "has a wide choice of products". Almost 50 per cent of Australians believe that Big W fulfills the criteria, compared to 45 per cent and 42 per cent who say that Kmart and Target also fit the bill.
The prestige department stores, Myer and David Jones, have lower footfalls but unit prices are significantly higher, of course. A hefty 10 per cent of Australians (1.6 million) buy something from Myer in an average four week period, says Roy Morgan, with 4.7 per cent (760,000) making the cash registers ring at David Jones.
Very few customers go to either retailer in search of lower prices, notes Roy Morgan. More than 40 per cent of Australians consider both department store chains as appealing shopping destinations because of the high quality of their inventories, followed by a wide choice of products and a good range of brands. More than 20 per cent of Australians - 21.9 per cent for Myer and 21.3 per cent for David Jones - believe that although their products cost a little more, they are worth it.
All of the leading retailers will see an uplift over the festive season, says Norman Morris, Industry Communications Director, Roy Morgan Research. "We're expecting a pre-Christmas spend of over $3 billion at department stores alone. Kmart and Big W are probably on the Christmas shopping itineraries of Aussie consumers keen not to break the bank this festive season. Meanwhile, people looking for high-quality, brand-name gifts no matter what the cost will more likely head to Myer or DJs".
Cosmetics among the top 10 most bought commodities in Australia
For some time now, Australians have spent more on experiences - travel, wining and dining and entertainment - than they do on what comedian Chevy Chase calls "stuff" - the material things of life. But the nation's spenders are still forking out $105 billion a year on "discretionary commodities", to use the correct economic term.
Fashion is way out in front, with 54.7 per cent of Australians purchasing clothing in an average four weeks, reveals Roy Morgan' s State of the Nation Retail Report. In descending order, the remaining top 10 items Aussies buy over an average month are: Hardware/garden (22.4%), Footwear (21.7%), Cards and stationery (18.8%), Music/movies (16.4%), Books or ebooks (16.2%), Games and toys (13.4%), Fashion accessories (12%), Cosmetics (10.7%) and Small electrical goods (8.3%).
Anyone waiting for e-commerce to take over is in for a long wait, says Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan Research. "The State of the Nation report reveals a year-on-year increase in the number of Aussies visiting bricks-and-mortar stores (an additional 90 million visits to retail outlets in the last financial year), which suggests that many retailers are already working to provide customers with an in-store experience that goes beyond the transactional".
YouCam app fingers the 12 major selfie personalities
The Perfect Corp, who produce the YouCam apps, the number one interactive beauty platform, says that 30 million selfies are taken around the world every day. With millions of images of women trying on makeup at its disposal, few companies are more qualified to list the top 12 most common selfie personalities. No further explanation is needed beyond their titles.
. My Squad
. Funny Face
. Family
. Party Girl
. Gen Z
. Girl Power
. Animal Lover
. Forever Young
. Flirty
. Vacationer
. Dare Devil
. Romantic
Each tribe has its habits, though. The most insightful takeaway is that Gen Zers share 40 per cent fewer selfies than Millennials. My Squad "gangs" take four times more selfies than average. Wednesday night is peak time for party girls. Ten per cent of animal lovers have experimented with makeup filters on their pets. Vacationers make the least amount of edits. Maybe its the night-after effect, but Romantics take the most snaps on Sundays.
L'Oreal Paris to debut one-size-fits-all skincare for all ages and ethnicities
The main pillar franchises of the L'Oréal Paris skincare business - Revitalift and Age Perfect - target women aged 40 to 60-plus. The power brand has been taking aim at younger women with the Skin Perfection Daily Correcting lineup and the recently launched Pure Clay Mask range. But the main danger of pursuing younger women too strongly has been the risk of cannibalising sales of the multinational's stablemate mega-brand - Garnier.
A smart solution to the dilemma is about to hit global markets. In 2017, L'Oreal will begin the worldwide rollout of L'Oreal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care. The lightweight products play into the Asian trend of more watery, jelly-like textures. Aloe water and hyaluronic acid are the two key ingredients, promising 72-hour hydration for women of all ages and ethnicities. Consumers will be able to select from three formulas - Matte (oily skin), Glow (normal/dry skin) and Comfort (extra dry skin).
Snippets from the wires
. More and more multinationals are buying into the professional haircare category. It's a smart strategy, notes researcher Technavio. The global professional haircare market is expected to grow by close to 4 per cent by 2020.
. The Asia/Pacific region, led by China, will continue to boost the global luxury fashion market, says Transparency Market Research. Global sales are expected to climb by 13.2 percent to US$60.7 billion over the next seven years.
. Francois Nars, founder of the eponymous beauty brand, has been awarded France's highest civilian honour - the Legion d' Honneur. The citation? Creative visionary, of course.
. The personalisation trend shows no signs of waning. Bed Bath & Beyond has acquired personalizationmall.com, an online retailer of personalised makeup bags, towels etc, for US$190 million.
. A new report from Resonance cements Sydney's position as a global force. More than 100 cities were judged in the World's Best City Brands 2017 rankings. Drum roll please for the top 10 metropolises: London, Singapore, New York, Paris, Sydney, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Tokyo, San Francisco and Toronto. Melbourne, together with Madrid, San Diego, Berlin, Moscow, Seattle and Dubai, have the best potential to rise in the rankings going forward, adds Rexonance.
. The belief that image semaphores success is practically the same across all age groups, reveals a recent study by Canadean. Young adults aged 16 to 24 are the most likely to agree - 65 per cent - but so do 60 per cent of those aged 55-plus.
. Storied Japanese department stres, Seibu and Isetan, are taking a leaf from SEPHORA's book. Both chains are trialing counter-free beauty departments, staffed by makeup specialists trained across up to 40 brands. "We're attracting a younger customer who used to stay away from shopping at department stores" said an Isetan spokesperson.
