Walmart.com's Beauty Boss
In the fall of 2017, Walmart.com sought to define themselves as a destination for the millennial beauty consumer.
Role: Senior Digital Strategist
THE Challenge
How do you introduce Walmart.com into the consideration set of Millennial and African-American beauty consumers, who turn to beauty-specific retailers for exploration and purchase?
THE STRATEGY
IDENTIFYING KEY BehaviorS
I started by honing in on the Millennial consumer and her beauty habits; with such active behavior she needs infinite sources of inspiration and exploration to feed her beauty appetite - she’s finding it through a constant stream of trends.
REVEALING AttitudeS
Keeping up with the trends comes at a cost! I found that the Millennial consumer is price conscious and not only is she finding ways to get the latest trends for less, but she’s also developing an entire sub-culture around the practice.
MAPPING THEIR Journey
After having a better understanding of her motivations, I followed her path to purchase, starting with the source of her inspiration; which based on data indicates it is most likely to be an influencer, publisher or even family member or friend, sharing the latest beauty trends on social media. Once they discover a new trend that captures interest, they seek to identify the products that will help them achieve the desired look; that research can happen in-store or online. 68% of millennial beauty consumers research online and purchase in-store, while 60% of the audience also use their phones to research while shopping in-store. The active millennial beauty consumer has a complex path to purchase that brands can intercept at any stage.
THE OPPORTUNITY
To reach their target audience, Walmart must position themselves as a destination for beauty consumers to discover and shop the latest trends and products. Since the brand was not top of mind as a destination for beauty consumers, influencers were utilized to drive awareness and build credibility to establish a foundation that will shift consumer perception.
OUR APPROACH
BOSS STATUS: TREND DISCOVERY
Beauty gurus @Cydbee, @Jasmeannnn, and @GriffinArnlund were all brought on board to curate trending looks with all affordable products sold at Walmart. Creating "No Makeup" makeup, Monochromatic makeup, and Shimmer and Glow makeup, the girls created tutorials showcasing the best way to bring them to life. They amplified traffic to their videos and Walmart.com with social posts on Instagram and Snapchat.
A NEW BEAUTY DESTINATION: PRODUCT RESEARCH
We created custom landing pages and campaign-specific product shelves curated around each trend, which resulted in a cohesive consumer experience that aligned with the content that our influencers were creating. Flyouts, pop outs, and spotlights across the retailer's massive site drove aisle skippers to the new beauty destination.
TREND DRIVEN SHOPPING EXPERIENCES: PRODUCT PURCHASE
A thoughtful mixture of cult-favorite products, Walmart exclusives, and new releases provided the opportunity for consumers to discover a wide variety of different products, with consistent messaging surrounding their availability at any location at a more affordable price point. Curating the product selections based on trend helped streamline the shopping process for consumers without limited access to variety.
