What if…beauty and wellness brands rethought their gift sets this year?

A large majority of beauty and wellness products are often bought with necessity in mind. Beauty products are ‘needed’ or ‘wanted’, and are often used every day. Buyer behaviour can have a predictive rhythm to it – either replenishment or lusting after the latest product or innovation. But what about when your customer isn’t buying out of necessity, or is even buying for others?  

Gifting is a huge part of the beauty and wellness sector. Gift sets create an opportunity for brands to reach extended audiences and encourage experimentation. Whilst shoppers may usually go to certain brands for necessity, gift sets completely change the reasoning behind purchases. Shoppers are trying to create an experience for other people in their lives, and therefore think very differently when making choices. Therefore, in order to make the most of gifting in beauty and wellness, brands need to unlock these new ways of thinking.

Firstly, what shouldn’t brands do? Just churn out the same old ideas, untested and unrefined.

Instead, they should seek to understand what shoppers prioritise when looking for gifts. What behavioural trends and patterns are governing spending in a context that shifts year on year? What factors and biases are really guiding shoppers, despite what they say?

There are several key themes that brands need to consider if they are to make the most of the gifting opportunity.

Personalisation 

How flexible are your gift ideas? People are getting used to more and more customisation in their daily lives, and this customisation, or personalisation, couldn’t be more relevant when it comes to gifting. The ability to combine and create your own bespoke bundle offers this customisation, allowing shoppers to create more meaningful gift ideas for friends and family. Brands therefore need to understand the most appropriate places for customisation. From in-store to online, the ability for customers to craft personalised gifts may yield a great advantage for ambitious brands. This may involve closely monitoring trends around which products are frequently bought together to capitalise on popular combinations. 

Usefulness 

Different combinations of products will have varying levels of genuine usefulness and appeal. Whilst some gift sets may contain a broad array of products for the recipient to explore, some gift sets will benefit from being targeted around a specific type of product or ‘heroes’ from the brand or category. Gift sets can provide an opportunity for you to showcase your offering to recipients who may not have encountered you before – so what’s the strategy for delighting these new potential customers? 

Sustainability

A key theme that simply cannot be ignored is the rise in environmentally-conscious shopping across all sectors, especially beauty and wellness. Not only may gift shoppers be more eco-conscious themselves, but they will also be mindful of the recipient’s potential environmentally conscious views. It’s a lot to consider, and a lot to understand. It’s essential for brands to be able to map out the priorities of their shoppers to understand how environmental concerns are really affecting purchase patterns. 

With Christmas, New Year and Valentine’s Day in the coming months, there are huge opportunities for brands to refine and tailor gift offerings. However, without the necessary behavioural understanding of shifting customer priorities, brands won’t be able to connect with their audience like their older gift sets offerings once did. 

For more information, get in touch with Trinity McQueen today.