Simple shopping may be a concept most women would consider an oxymoron, or at least a myth. But marketers in the mass segment of the color cosmetics market are determined to make life less complicated for consumers and retailers alike through improved merchandising systems, new in-store displays and efficient packaging solutions. Expected to make an impact in stores this summer, these innovative merchandising strategies are set to replace messy retail shelves with organized simplicity.

As Revlon and Almay launch completely revamped walls this year (see Revlon’s wall right), competition in the booming $2.5 billion mass color cosmetics market is heating up. Marketers are striving to make the most of coveted (and crowded) retail shelf space, and are finding that standing out from the crowd remains the key to grabbing and holding consumers’ attention. To succeed in today’s retail environment, marketers are expected to deliver it all and then some—an effective product, attractive and efficient packaging, eye-catching displays, information and makeup tips. Interactive in-store programs such as shade matching guides and 3-D component replicas are bringing mass brands ever closer to the prestige side of the category.

Revlon Builds ‘Her Wall’ for Greater POP Impact
Taking the lead in this retail revolution is Revlon, which is in the process of rolling out new walls for its Revlon and Almay brands. Referred to as “Her Wall,” the Revlon systems are designed to meet consumer demands for clean, neat and well-organized systems as well as offer visuals and information. From the retailer perspective, the new walls maximize space efficiency, make resets less complicated and render the walls easier to work with for retail associates. “We’ve created a wall that is easier and faster to service in order to reduce out-of-stock problems,” explained Tracy Lewis, Revlon’s public relations manager.

According to Larry Aronson, president of North America, sales customer marketing and business development for Revlon, the company’s merchandising strategy focuses on both consumer needs and customer logistics, therefore consideration was given to both the “front and back of the house.” He added that Revlon is inspired and motivated by the challenge to marry consumer needs with those of its retail partners.

The new Revlon and Almay systems are the result of an 18-month process that included development, research, design and rollout. The company’s research revealed that consumers appreciated several features of Revlon’s previous systems, including a well-lit shopping environment and black as a color for Revlon and white as a color for Almay. Retailer planograms, SKU productivity and previous test results also played a key role in the creation of the new walls.

“The goal of the system,” explained Revlon’s Lewis, “is to make the shopping experience easier for consumers and to aid retailers in re-stocking.” Lewis compared the wall to a Lego unit where multiple parts function in multiple places. “By relying on fewer parts and pieces, the wall can be installed with one-hour of manpower per linear foot versus the two-and-a-half hours per linear foot of the past. The wall’s unique design features the product as ‘hero,’ by using clear plastic and shelf inserts that describe key product benefits,” she said.

Almay Makes A Change
On the Almay side, the redesign is the first display to be introduced in 15 years. Featuring soft colors, product graphics and lots of product information, the system was created to bring the brand’s positioning—“Almay is The Pure Source for Beautiful”—to life in the in-store environment and enhance the consumer shopping experience.

Almay’s new “Her Wall” is the brand’s first new in-store merchandising system in 15 years.

In terms of how the redesign differs from the previous system, it now features a “21st Century approach,” according to Almay. Product categories are color-coded. The display is not lighted, but has been designed to capture and filter overhead store lighting to softly shade products. Each fixture features three inch wide graphic panels that separate product categories and curve out at the top and bottom to make it easy for consumers to find products easily at both ends.

“Our research indicated that graphics are critically important from a consumer standpoint to the shopping experience, so this was a big consideration when designing the new Wall,” said Georgianna Mandelos, associate manager, public relations for Almay. “From a retailer perspective, the look of the new Almay Wall is designed to separate the brand from others in the store, enhance the consumer experience and make it easier to shop,” she added.

Cover Girl’s three-step color matching guide is one example of interactive retail merchandising.

Cover Girl Keeps It Easy, Breezy
Simplicity is key for Cover Girl, a brand that continues to support new initiatives with a variety of in-store displays. “Cover Girl strives to keep the shopping experience simple, easy and fun,” commented Monica Collins, manager, North American communications for Procter & Gamble Cosmetics.

Relaunched in Spring 2000, the wall unit is divided into make-up groupings; the left side of the wall is for face products and is categorized by product line and shades. The right side of the wall is for color, categorized also by product and shades from lightest to darkest. “We reorganized the wall so that color products were spectrummed and offered together,” explained P&G’s Collins. “We relaunched our palette of face shades so that as women change seasons and change their foundations, they will always be able to find their shade.”

Similar to many mass brands, the Cover Girl merchandising unit and point-of-purchase displays are designed to provide education for consumers. Items like peg talkers make it easy for women to learn about new products while saleable samples called Tiny Trys offer the opportunity to try a new item for a small price—about $1.25. Interactive shade selection devices help women choose the correct shade of foundation and complementary products.

CG Smoothers AquaSmooth, which is packaged in an airtight compact because of its unique formula, is supported by a special display to help consumers choose the right shade. “A shade selector is located at the wall so women can choose a shade card and hold it up to the wrist or neck to perfectly match their skin tone,” Collins said.

Collins noted that today’s shopping environment is extremely competitive, where lines are blurring between prestige, mass and specialty channels. “Cover Girl continues to offer a fresh new shopping experience and great new products to women of all ages who want a clean, fresh natural beauty look and don’t want to spend a lot of time or money achieving it,” she said.

Jane Specializes in Reaching Target Youth Market
Another marketer attracting attention in the mass market is Jane, an Estée Lauder Company brand that targets 16-19 year-olds. The company’s current merchandising approach is a hanging carded program that also incorporates module units. The system allows for maximum flexibility so that new products can be easily introduced to replace older or discontinued items. The display was created specifically to be both easy for customers to use and easy for retailers to maintain.

“In the mass market, consumers generally don’t have assistance, so the merchandise has to stand on its own and be self-explanatory,” said Jane’s president Sandy Cataldo. She stressed the importance of packaging in the mass environment, where products are not “guarded” by a sales associate as they are in department stores. “The challenge here is what I call ‘housekeeping.’ People want neat, clean and pristine products.”

In an attempt to distinguish itself from brands that target younger consumers as well as brands targeting older consumers, the company has developed an in-store look designed to come across as fun yet somewhat sophisticated. “We do not want to look 12, but we also don’t want to look 45,” said Cataldo. To achieve this effect, Jane uses four different colors within one unit highlighted by a black backdrop; different colors are used to distinguish products by category (i.e. eyes, lips, cheeks).

In the lip category, Jane is currently promoting its Megabites brand, which is sold in carded and uncarded formats so that consumers can smell the products. “Flavor and fragrance play a major role and this is reflected in the packaging and merchandising of the Megabites line,” commented Cataldo. She added that, although this was not always the case in the mass market, today’s consumers are concerned with hygiene and demand a clean, untouched product. Therefore, using packaging and merchandising technologies to effectively sell products with taste and smell features represents an important challenge. “New packaging innovations in general within the industry would help here, although Jane Cosmetics is taking the lead in providing innovation in these areas,” Cataldo added.

Jane’s in-store strategy, with bold graphics to identify the brand, blends hanging merchandise with modular units.

Another key challenge, particularly for smaller companies like Jane, is making the most of limited retail space. Jane’s answer has been to promote its brand image as much as possible through magazine advertising and its website information in stores. Growing the Jane brand image is a priority even if it means losing product space to do so. “We are carving out space in our displays for images, new product graphic panels and promoting our website,” Cataldo explained. She added that Jane’s website remains an important tool and a way for the company to connect with consumers. As a response to a consumer desire for more information, Jane has also recently brought back informational booklets on its walls. Jane also uses paid sampling as an inexpensive option for customers interested in trying new products.

“The mass market has not done a stellar job of merchandising,” judged Cataldo. “The business really needs to continue to innovate and we have a long way to go.” Cataldo acknowledged that manufacturers need to be creative to promote their brands but, in many retail environments, are forced to look alike. “Retailers want uniformity in order to build their brands, and this is understandable,” Cataldo observed. “But this has led to a lot of sameness and homogeneity and that’s a disservice to both the consumer and the retailer. She noted that packaging suppliers could do more, but are obviously constrained by costs. “We all need to work on meeting this challenge—retailers, display designers, packaging suppliers and manufacturers. After all, people want assortment. They deserve a fun and unique shopping experience,” she said.

“I would like to see a relaxing of restrictions, which would benefit everyone. Of course a certain amount of conformity needs to exist so stores don’t look like hodge-podge, but marketers need to have some flexibility as well,” Cataldo concluded.

Summer is here and fall is on its way. Mass brands have color cosmetics for the seasons. Here’s a quick look at the hottest picks for Summer and Fall 2002:

Almay’s Lip Vitality Smoothing Lipcolor with Kinetin is available now. • Almay—On counter beginning July 2002 are Lip Vitality Smoothing Lipcolor with Kinetin, Kinetin Skincare Firming & Brightening Eye Cream and Kinetin Skincare Firming & Pore Refining Serum. • Cover Girl—Fresh Complexion Pocket Powder Oil Control Foundation and “Stonewashed” shades for the summer are available now. Comprised of new shades of classic Cover Girl products, the Stonewashed Color Collection features fresh new beige and blue looks for eyes and nails. In the fall, Cover Girl will introduce the ‘Twilighting’ Color Collection that will include romantic shades of Cover Girl favorites like Outlast All-Day Lipcolor, Continuous Color Lipstick and Perfect Point Plus Self Sharpening Eye Pencil. The star of the ‘Twilighting’ collection is the limited edition Outlast Shimmers Shade Enhancing Topcoats, which add a hint of glimmer and hue to Outlast All-Day Lipcolors. In support of the brand’s continued efforts to enhance the in-store shopping experience, a shade dial will be available at the wall to help consumers mix and match their favorite Outlast and Outlast Shimmers Shade Enhancing Topcoats shades. In-store merchandising for the ‘Twilighting’ collection will also include Senior Pre Packs, two Total Look Cover Girl’s Twilighting collection of colors will be ready for Fall 2002. Junior displays, a Chipper and a Hot Spot display. • Jane—New Megabites offerings for lips include a new shade of Pineapple Delight-flavored Glossy Gloss as well as Cherry Delight-flavored Glossy Gloss in Clearly Pink. Also for lips, three Fabulizer shades/flavors. The Fabulizer lip and eye products are housed in a clear plastic pro applicator and snap top with a clickable base that can be turned to release the product into the plastic applicator tip. Jane has launced Jade, a shade in its shimmering, non-creasing Fabulizer collection. Also for eyes, new Iced Shadow shades are packaged in clear plastic jars. The Iced Shadow products are designed to feel wet and cool when applied to lids. • L’Oréal—This summer, L’Oréal is promoting Bronze Exotique products and shades designed to warm up eyes, cheeks, lips, and nails. Described as “tropical… with a twist,” the new, limited-edition collection is highlighted by new in-store displays for Summer 2002. Max Factor’s Lipfinity Shimmer Finish Moisturinzing Top Coat complements existing Lipfinity products. • Max Factor—The Lipfinity product line is expanding with the addition of Lipfinity Shimmer Finish Moisturinzing Top Coat in six shades to add special effects to the 25 shades of Lipfinity already available in stores. • Neutrogena—Now on retail shelves, Neutrogena is offering Visibly Firm Moisture Makeup with active copper. Offered in 12 shades and featuring SPF 20, the product promises to firm skin, increase elasticity, reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve clarity, radiance and texture. The new foundation is featured prominently on the Neutrogena wall in stores and is sold in a dressy glass bottle with a copper-colored top. In the lip category, Neutrogena is promoting its MoistureShine gloss in eight shades. The lip gloss contains moisturizing botanicals, light reflectors and special skin-smoothing emollients. • Physicians Formula—Botanical Face Powders are in the spotlight from Physicians Formula. Each powder contains a biopolymer complex made from plant extracts to help protect skin and radiant powder pigments for a healthy-looking and glowing complexion. Each shade is a different flower that provides its unique color-correcting benefit. • Revlon—“Some Like It Sweet” is Revlon’s Summer 2002 line of lip, cheek, eye and nail products in pastel hues. The line includes Berry Rich Smooth-On Blush; a Limited Edition So Shiny Lip Pen in four new shades—Glaze, Nectar, Sweet and Sorbet—with matching new nail polish shades; High Dimension Liner in Gold Flash; Wet/Dry Liner in Candied Violet; and Illuminance Crème Shadow in Skinlights.