When creating a cosmetic brand, there are many factors to consider in order to ensure its success. The marketing positioning of the brand and the formulation of your products form a basis for targeting your brand to a certain audience. But you also need to think about how your products will be distributed to the general public!
Distribution: the final phase of your brand launch
The good distribution of your cosmetic brand is the key to its profitability. Thus it is a factor that should not be neglected! Indeed, your product may be the best on the market, but it will not be as successful as expected without an appropriate distribution channel.
You need to choose a distribution channel:
- consistent with your brand image
- meeting your ethical requirements
- reaching your target consumer.
In order to choose the most suitable option, it is advisable to carry out market research. By identifying your audience, you will develop your identity and adapt to their requirements and consumption patterns. You will therefore identify their preferred distribution channel.
The different distribution channels
During your market research, you will be faced with different distribution channel for your cosmetic brand. Whether you are working in B2B or B2C, your distribution strategy may vary, but the options are similar:
100% online sales
- “Pure player” or online sales are often the preferred choice of new businesses. They indeed allow easy access to branded products. This can involve the creation of your own e-commerce site. On it, you can develop your identity, create content and focus on what makes your brand strong.
- You can also use so-called pure player platforms (such as Amazon or CDiscount for example).
- Another option is stock clearance sites that can give your products visibility.
100% physical sales
Unlike online sales, you can opt for 100% in-store sales. Known as “brick and mortar” sales, physical sales offer advantages that online sales do not. Trying out the products, talking to the shopkeeper or even the atmosphere of the shop are all criteria that can reassure the consumer and encourage him to buy your product. It has been proven that customers prefer to make a first purchase in a shop in order to familiarise themselves with the brand and to ask the shopkeeper all their questions.
Combined online and physical sales
“click and mortar” is very appealing, as it combines the two previous options to reach the widest possible audience. The advantage of this distribution method is that customers can discover your products in shop. When they are satisfied with their first experience, they can buy them back online .
For the distribution of your cosmetic brand, you must therefore choose whether you share your brand products yourself (on your own website or in your own physical shop) or whether you use an external distributor.
The advantages of a distributor
Using a distributor is often advisable as it has many advantages for your brand:
- Visibility: a distributor will allow you to display your brand in different types of shops or on different online platforms, some of them well-known, others niche, all in line with your identity and approach. This way, your brand, which is currently new on the market, can be found and discovered more easily by retailers.
- Legitimacy: by choosing distributors that are in line with your brand, you will gain legitimacy. For example, if you sell vegan products and your distributor places your brand in a shop or on a platform known for its vegan products, your brand will gain legitimacy. Indeed, it will be put on the same level as products that are already known and appreciated by customers.
- Loyalty: when your products are visible and have been tested by your customers via a distributor, your customers will know where to find your products without having to do a lot of research. This will make it easier for them to repeat their purchase, and thus build loyalty to your brand.
The selection of the distributor, a crucial choice
The choice of your distributor can be the determining factor in the success of your cosmetic brand launch. Therefore, you need to evaluate distributors to determine if they are suitable for your brand. For example, if your cosmetics are on a huge website with a variety of products (not just cosmetics), you will have a lower chance of gaining a foothold in your sector. You will be more likely to succeed if you manage to place your products on a small, niche site dedicated solely to cosmetics. This is why it is strongly advised to canvass and compare different distributors. Go to trade shows, join associations, and use the growing power of social networks to promote yourself and pique the curiosity of distributors.
Healthy and natural ingredients for your products and their image
Are you looking for partners to find new healthy and natural ingredients for your cosmetic products? Sophim offers you a wide range of products of natural origin, with many organic vegetable oils and COSMOS certified references, proof of our environmental commitment. We can help you develop your product line and supply qualitative ingredients to make your cosmetic brand a reference.
You can easily contact our teams by phone at (+33)4 92 33 17 17, or send us a message online in our Contact section.
Category: Cosmetics Expertise