News & Reviews

Are we feeling crunched yet? October 2008

There is no doubt that the momentous happenings around the world over the last few weeks will have a significant effect on our economy in the UK, if they haven't already.

Take a moment, though, to step away from the panic and think about your customers. The word on the street is that cosmetics customers are not going to abandon ship in too much of a hurry. On ‘The One Show' last night, females aged 18+ were being stopped in the street and asked "You've only got enough money for make-up or a meal. Which would you choose?" And guess what the answer was every time? Definitely the make-up! Well, they do say that sales of lipstick go up in a recession, probably due to the psychology factor more than anything but if it's going to cheer you up that's great! In the same way that lipstick makes you feel good, it stands to reason that if you have found a skincare product that works for you then you are going to be reluctant to make do with a cheaper version or nothing at all because the likelihood is that your skin won't look or feel the same.

I don't think it's as much about price as about product efficacy. A recent survey from feelunique.com revealed that nearly a third of women would spend less on food than compromise on their beauty regimes. I'm not surprised. The fact that a product works for you and you enjoy using it goes a long way. I would certainly rather forgo an expensive taxi ride or delay the purchase of bigger consumables than sacrifice something that's going to makes me look and feel good on a daily basis.

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