São Paulo – The Middle East beauty companies are rethinking their social media approach. Specialists say this includes taking a more realistic tone as part of the their efforts to adapt to the new consumer demands, according to experts in a webinar staged by Beautyworld Middle East (pictured above), the region’s largest beauty trade show, to run in November in Dubai.
As ecommerce grew, the brands saw social channels such as Instagram growing in importance. To remain relevant in the new normal, the companies have seen that trust, authenticity and transparency are consumer engagement essentials.
Noor Al Tamimi, CEO of Bedashing Holding, UAE operator of hair and nail salons, beauty lounges and spas, said the pandemic had forced a complete company rethink on its social media approach. “Before COVID we used to strive for pitch perfect imagery but we realised that would not be relevant given what people have been going through so we shifted to seeking more interaction with our audience taking a more realistic tone, running surveys to discover what people want and there’s no going back now,” she said.
Al Tamimi’s approach was backed by Leon Rego, CEO and chief strategist of Eleven777 Advertising. He advised that Gen Z’s 16-24-year-olds were among the most demanding of reality checkers. “There are extremely critical when seeking transparency and authenticity,” he explained. As for Samira Olfat, founder of Samira Olfat Cosmetics, she believes the new norm would see online marketplaces emerge as potential competitors to established ecommerce sites.
Market research company Euromonitor International, Beautyworld Middle East’s partner, released a report on the beauty industry during the webinar. According to the study, consumer comfort levels towards digital are rising. As an increased number of ecommerce platforms emerge, consumers’ preferences lie towards sites they can relate to. The report also identified an uptick in virtual conversations, augmented reality, and chatbots with virtual “try on” options being incorporated by beauty players, especially to engage Millennials and Gen Z in the region.
Prior to the pandemic Euromonitor forecast a double-digit growth in regional beauty and personal care ecommerce during this year in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. The post-COVID region, says the latest report, may have to further adapt to maintain the potential. The report identifies that premium brands will have to show greater flexibility in terms of channel mix and turn to retail avenues previously outside their immediate comfort zone, as well as to endorse the concept of “affordable luxury” more strongly.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
