Forecasting the Future of Beauty Design

BEAUTY DESIGN

RESHAPING THE LANDSCAPE

LEARNED FROM THE MUDDY WATERS OF THIS PAST YEAR, BEAUTY DESIGN DRAWS UPON CONSUMER BEHAVIORS AND EMOTIONS.

At the core of this, is 3 key modalities in found in beauty design:

1. Retail
2. Service
3. Community

Each modality offers an opportunity to create healing, growth, recovery, re-engagement, trust and connection.  Use these design tips to re-shape the beauty landscape for a new hope and relief.

Retail

Even though we felt the retail environment shift with the events of 2020, it is important to consider how your brick-and-mortar store can play a role in a new customer experience.  Tomorrow’s physical retail presence offers an opportunity to drive your customer from isolation to engagement. Here are ways to reconnect with your customers:

1. Get Creative. Celebrate beauty’s escapism with immersive displays that represent a motivation to return to retail.   Aesthetically pleasing retail areas will bring customers in for the experience.  It will also make shopping interactive and up-lift your guests.
2. Story-Tell. Re-invent the shopping experience through a unique brand story.  Weave this story into every aspect of your retail including focal point walls and graphics.  For example, if your products are all organic, bring the outdoors in.  This creates authenticity and builds credibility.
3. Think Luxury. Take a cue from luxury retailers where less is more.  This is not about shrinking your inventory.  It is about displaying less in a more boutique-like setting.  Refinement puts the attention on the product.  It also gives them a perceived higher value which builds confidence.
4. Be Flexible. The power of fast adaption in a retail space is critical.  Rather than structural walls, think movable displays and inter-changeable seating.  Flexibility allows you to connect you’re your guests in a more strategic way, riding the waves as they come.
5. Infuse Technology. Create a dynamic retail experience with smart technologies such as touchless check-outs and artificial intelligence.  This is the best way to offer convenience, personalization and customized promotions for true customer engagement.

Service

In 2020, levels of anxiety and uncertainty were at an all-time high.  Now, servicing your customer with an extreme attention to detail is more important than ever. Micro-moments (online and offline before, during and post-visit) must be built around speed, convenience and support. The new beauty interior is a hybrid of both high tech and high touch services to help the consumer feel pampered, renewed, revitalized and uplifted – from the inside out. Consider these design tips to amplify “best practices” through design:

1. Create Comfort. Making your guests feel comfortable is essential.  Consider updating your space with elements that engage the senses.  Integrate relaxing scents, soothing music, comfortable commercial grade seating, and warm lighting.  Comfort promotes healing.
2. Embrace Quality. Quality design matters, now more than ever.  From touchless faucets and wipe-able surfaces, superior finishes and fixtures instills peace and calm.  Not only will it strengthen your brand but it will inspire confidence.
3. Maximize Space. Making the most of your interior does not mean cramming everything in.  It does mean maximize space for a sense of order, beauty, calm and efficiency.  There is a place for everything and everything in its place.  Harmony and balance builds integrity and trust.
4. Promote Healing. Wellness is fundamental to the new beauty experience. Promote well-being with adequate daylight, views to nature (biophilia), art and pleasing aesthetics details.  Don’t let any detail go to waste.  From soft colors and good acoustics to ergonomic and ventilation, wellness is the new luxury.

Community

Congregating and connecting with people has always been an important function of beauty.  In 2020, we lost our communal fabric and human-to-human connection.  As we look to the future, there will be an even greater desire for shared experiences and environments.  Here are design tips to promote the communal spirit:

1. Add Amenities. From rose bars to lounge rooms, beauty amenities promote human connection. Even small amenities in our surroundings can have a strong impact on sharing.  For example, a chalk wall with new daily promotions can re-invigorate togetherness and spark conversation.
2. Go bold. Dynamic designs help foster positive conversation and collaboration. Interesting design can bring people together.  Aesthetically pleasing spaces that customers will want to experience, will not only inspire your guests but make the space interactive.
3. Foster Flexibility. Rather than structural walls, consider movable panels, columns and curtains with the ability to engage or dis-engage.  A space-sharing model allows for quick adaption for in-store and after-hours events and collaborations.
4. Make room. An open plan makes room for the community with openness, transparency, accessibility and visibility.  Think dimensionally, with multi-level fixtures and open staircases.  A landscape-like, visual openness encourages stronger cohesion.