As consumer attitudes towards buying beauty products begins to normalize, brands are forging onwards. Subsequently, CEW Beauty News reached out to four beauty brands to discuss the how, the why and the challenges behind launching product during a pandemic. Here, our second story in this series, featuring Amy Liu, Founder of clean beauty brand, Tower 28 Beauty. Amy talks about why she chose to move forward with launching a new cream bronzer, Bronzino; changes in customer demand; online sales trends; supply chain disruptions; retail partnerships; and what she perceives will be the lasting effects of COVID on the beauty industry.

On Moving Forward with a New Launch…

As a new brand with relatively low brand awareness, I did not know what to expect with the launch of Bronzino, a new cream bronzer, and there’s still no real blueprint for success. The number-one asset we have right now is our Instagram; the community is small but very engaged. Our open rate on emails, our return-to-brand number, return-to-customer, etc. all of those measurable specifics are pretty high, so the launch still felt “safe” for us. There’s also price. In the spectrum of clean beauty, we have a pretty accessible price point, which certainly helps us to keep positioning our launches even now. We first started talking and teasing the product to our customers on Instagram; there was excitement and it seemed like they wanted normalcy. As a small brand we don’t have the luxury of delaying and holding onto inventory. We decided to launch and lean into our branding of a sunshine-y beach lifestyle.

Initially we thought about including some messaging about the current circumstances, but then we dropped that. I think people are sick of hearing it, and no one needs to be constantly reminded of what’s going on. That being said, we did have to adapt our branding a bit. For example, our original PR box to influencers included specific wording on the product’s accessibility; using it on vacation, at home, in the car, a train, a plane, etc. It was supposed to be funny, but we had to strike all that and instead included a note card with a message of hope and happiness.

On Customer Demand…

I think in general the demand for new products is still there, but customers are just more mindful, particularly of price. Being price-conscious is one of the hallmarks of our brand, and something I was passionate about since starting it; to make clean beauty more accessible, as all of our products are $28 and under.

On Online Sales Trends…

Bronzino sold out at Sephora on the first day, which was amazing. They were doing their VIB sales during that time, so I’m sure that created some demand and urgency from customers. We ended up with a lot of customer overage on our site. Actually, our own dotcom sales this month are five times what they normally are. It’s nuts. Revolve sold out in one day, as well. Credo took about five to seven days to sell out.

We launched in all Sephora stores at the end of this January, in both U.S. and Canada. Our sales there have been incredibly strong, so I was afraid when stores closed that we would lose a lot of sales and revenue. As a young brand I thought people found us by shopping there as opposed to being driven there by our Instagram. But our sales in this period have generally been about the same as what they were when the stores were open. But during their recent sales, our products sold four and a half to five times more than normal.

On Supply Chain Disruptions…

We’ve definitely had supply chain issues. All of our products are made in the U.S., so most of our vendors have been closed. It’s been really challenging. Frankly, we’re out of stock on a lot of things right now. The problem has been magnified by the fact that our sales have really increased. The combination of supply chain breaks and the increased demand have been particularly brutal. I’m hopeful that our customers are going to continue to be patient and understanding with us.

On Evolution of Retail Partnerships…

There’s definitely more hand-holding now with retailers because of the various disruptions and uncertainties. I’ve personally had a great experience with them all (Sephora, Credo, Revolve). They’ve been hugely supportive, understanding and flexible. I’m sure they have to be more careful with their buys now because of cash, but I think it all comes back to communication. We as brands are all vying for that digital curation and merchandising that they provide, so this time has really forced us all to maneuver together on a more equal playing field. Our conversations with them now are cautiously optimistic, but we’re still planning for the future.

On Covid Affecting the Beauty Industry…

From a business perspective, before all of this companies were raising a lot of money, spending a lot of money, and receiving high valuations. I think we’ll be more conscious of all of that. At the end of the day, it’s expensive to run a company and this downturn will force people to become more mindful of their balance sheets, their burn rate, etc.

From a customer perspective, I think people will be more conscious of how they’re spending their dollars – whether it be related to clean beauty or price. But with all the recent focus on cleanliness and hygiene, I think customers will turn to clean beauty even if it’s just a hedge for other things. For example, people that I know who are very conscious of using chemical cleaners in their homes are heavily leaning into them now. It may be case where if you do that in one area of your life, you will be a little more careful in another area.

There’s also a stronger sense of supporting small business now than ever before, which as a small brand is meaningful.