Multimedia retailer HSN teams with Bluemercury CEO on natural skincare
This week, that product line will be available through a whole new retail channel. HSN has worked with brands sold at Bluemercury before, including the makeup and fragrance brand Trish McEvoy, Deborah Lippmann nail care, and suncare from Hampton Sun.
"HSN is thrilled to be the launch platform for M-61 skincare," stated Anne Martin-Vachon, chief merchandising officer for HSN, in a media release announcing the partnership.
"Marla Beck is a renowned thought leader in beauty, and this is a unique opportunity for our customers to gain insight and knowledge from a respected icon within the industry. M-61 Skincare is the perfect addition to our roster list of top-tier brands that we feature,” Martin-Vachon added.
Trends and celebrities
Mainstream consumer purchasing trends are tending more and more toward ecologically sourced and conceptually natural products. Such consumer preferences matter all the more now that digital media gives consumers both direct access to brands and platforms for reaching their fellow consumers with influential messaging.
This same media landscape makes celebrity all the more intriguing. And that’s not lost on HSN. Next month the company will be bringing a celebrity endorsed skincare line to consumers. Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare is already being previewed on the site and interested shoppers can opt in to email alerts about the brand. Like M-61, the Brinkley products are available elsewhere. However shopping with HSN gives consumers a multichannel experience that adds inspiration and community to the purchasing routine.
Financial matters
Mindy Grossman, chief executive officer, and Judy Schmeling, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of the publically traded HSN, are set to announce the company’s Q4 and fiscal 2014 results later this week.
Those numbers will reflect the company’s sales not just in the cosmetics and personal care categories but in all the segments the retailer addresses: lifestyle, beauty, cooking, fashion, jewelry, and electronics.
Be were the shopper is
Smart personal care brands looking to reach women will “meet her at every touchpoint,” by making use of every available screen as well as conventional platforms, according to Women’s Marketing. The media strategy agency spoke with Cosmetics Design earlier this year and noted that “65% of [women consumers] online have never made a digital beauty purchase.”
“We see she is open to making online purchases, but still feels most comfortable testing her beauty products in-store before settling on the perfect products,” Women’s Marketing told Cosmetics Design.
M-61 skincare is broadening its market reach by partnering with HSN. While Bluemercury, founded by M-61 creator Marla Malcolm Beck and Barry Beck and now owned by Macy’s, has plans to meet the consumer at more brick and mortar locations. Macy’s is repositioning itself as an omnichannel retailer, and the Bluemercury acquisition is part of that initiative.
“With the full weight of Macy’s resources, we will be able to accelerate our store penetration across the United States, bringing our specialty store format to urban and suburban markets throughout the country,” Barry Beck told the press when the acquisition was announced last month.
