A Wren Says

A funny thing happened. I got an email from a beauty brand. They were doing a 20 percent off sale on products sitewide. I rejoiced at the savings and started filling my cart. Then, my pattern recognition kicked in. “What a coincidence! Their sale ends right when the Sephora sale starts.” It is not coincidence.

This year, instead of telling you, “It’s just marketing,” from the perspective of saving you money, let’s go on the brand side.

The Sephora Savings Event is a big deal. The biannual event is marked on beauty lovers calendars. People like me start filling their carts in anticipation, ready to hit checkout as soon as the discount goes live. Customers pay attention to this because they want a deal. Brands may attention because they want make some money, too.

A wise brand is doing their research on their competitors. If you sell anything with the categories of skin, makeup, hair, or body, Sephora is one of your competitors, even if you yourself wholesale to them. To protect or build your space in the market, you have to be aware of what they’re doing. And then, once you know their strategies, you have to decide how you’ll respond. And in this case, the answer to the saving event has been to offer discounts of your own.

It might seem odd to say this, but this is just marketing. No, not the discount piece of it, that’s not what I mean. It’s more than just ads and sales; it’s about figuring out how to best meet the needs of the market. So, just remember, doing your research is marketing. Crafting your strategy is marketing. Make sure you remember that.