It’s no secret that the internet and e-commerce have changed the face of retail forever. What was once a brick-and-mortar-only retail landscape is now a fluid, multi-channel shopping experience for consumers.
However, many experts agree that brick-and-mortar retail is here to stay, even if it continues to be shaped by online shopping trends and shifting consumer expectations. In fact, about 85 percent of all retail sales still occur in physical retail locations. That means that the in-store experience still matters—and for cosmetics brands in particular, the in-store experience can make or break a business.
Perfecting your in-store cosmetics displays should be a top priority. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next design, here are some examples of our favorite retail display cases from leading beauty brands.
Retail Display Case Inspiration to Grow Your Cosmetics Company
Lush
With more than 250 shops scattered across North America, cosmetics brand Lush has grown from a niche business into one of the major players in the beauty industry today. Lush has managed to differentiate itself from its competitors due to its unique approach to the in-store experience.
In particular, Lush’s interactive retail displays have stood out to its customers. With products unpackaged and displayed on open shelves and cases, customers are encouraged to touch, smell, and interact with the products as they browse. This lack of packaging is a great way to not only emphasize their eco-friendly brand, but also provide a sensory experience to their customers.
Additionally, Lush’s in-store retail environment features large sinks where salespeople can hold demonstrations of colorful bath bombs. These demonstrations provide salespeople with an opportunity to engage with customers, providing the one-to-one human experience that consumers expect from brick-and-mortar stores.
Tarte
Like Lush, Tarte is another eco-friendly and cruelty-free cosmetics brand—but with customers in more than 190 countries, it definitely hasn’t had any trouble differentiating itself from its competitors.
Why? One differentiator is its engaging in-store product displays. Tarte displays all of its products together in one large case, encouraging cross-sells and upsells for customers who are interested in purchasing matching sets. The display’s backdrop image touts their core messages of natural, cruelty-free ingredients.
Additionally, Tarte does a great job of closing the loop on the digital-to-in-store experience, by adding “#RethinkNatural” to the back of its displays. This provides consumers with an “instagrammable” moment, reminding them that even after they purchase the product and leave the store, they can continue to engage with the brand online.
Benefit
Founded in San Francisco in 1976, Benefit Cosmetics has grown into a fun, quirky beauty brand with a presence in over 40 countries around the world.
Benefit’s display cases have a distinct presence within the retail environment, popping out from their surroundings with the brand’s bright pink colors. The whimsical color scheme is supportive of Benefit’s playful brand—and because these colors are so eye-catching and recognizable by their former customers, they draw traffic to their displays.
Additionally, Benefit’s retail displays include stations with chairs where salespeople can provide customers with makeovers, training, and other live demonstrations. These demonstrations are opportunities for relationship-building, education, and experiential marketing. By designing retail environments like this where salespeople are given the space to engage consumers face to face, you create a more memorable in-store experience.
Kylie Cosmetics
Founded less than five years ago by Kylie Jenner, Kylie Cosmetics has grown into a $1.2 billion company and maintains a huge and loyal customer base. Recently, Coty Inc. purchased a 51 percent stake in the Kylie Cosmetics business for $600 million.
Although much of Kylie Cosmetics' success relies on social media marketing and Kylie’s own influence as an American media personality, its in-store displays are still just as important to driving sales.
Typically, Kylie Cosmetics displays are simple and stripped of any significant messaging other than the brand name itself. Because the brand logo and Kylie’s image are so recognizable to customers, simply featuring them on the display creates a powerful draw. This is a great example of how much you can influence sales by maintaining a strong, differentiated brand and remaining on-brand in your retail displays.
Design Effective Retail Display Cases for Your Cosmetics Company
Shopping within a physical retail environment will always offer consumers an experience they can’t get online—and in the heavily saturated cosmetics market, you need to make sure your brand stands out among the rest.
Interactive, on-brand displays with opportunities for both in-person and online engagement will always produce the most sales. In the cosmetics industry in particular, providing consumers with the ability to try products, either by themselves or through a demonstration by a salesperson, is incredibly important.
Whether you have a display design in mind and need help executing it or just want to brainstorm with an experienced retail display designer, we can help. The team at InStore Design Display maintains an intimate understanding of the retail environment, and we can help you develop and create in-store displays that are experiential and engaging.
If you’re ready to set your cosmetics brand apart by transforming the in-store experience, check out our free guide.