February is right around the corner, and that means love is in the air. Brands are actively stocking the aisles of their shoppers’ favorite retailers both in stores and online with red and pink. Their consumers are on the hunt for ways to express their love to significant others and close friends – and even for themselves.
Sometimes you need a little something extra to tell your significant other “Happy Valentine’s Day”. That’s why this time of year we see attention towards beauty, personal care, and of course, candy brands start to grow. MikMak’s Shopping Index showed that eCommerce traffic for Beauty and Personal Care items starts to increase by January 21st. And we know this surge is driven by Valentine’s Day shoppers. With gift giving being one of the primary love languages expressed during the Valentine’s Day season, MikMak has some special insights to help your brand win some extra love from shoppers for this holiday and beyond.
Makeup, candy, and other products that make a perfect fit
As the saying goes, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. While that may be true, there is no question that mascara, lipstick, and a box of chocolates could also be included in that friend group. Today, whether digitally or physically, the shopping basket is a reflection of product clusters – lists of what shoppers like to purchase together and how these products are associated with each other. For brands, getting on as many of these lists as possible and staying there is key to growing and protecting market share. Event specific shopping occasions present opportunities for brands to notice unique product adjacencies and associations, and Valentine’s Day is no exception.
Brands should utilize data during this time to discover products that are often purchased alongside their products. Noticing these adjacencies can open doors for understanding your shopper, what other products they like, and even developing potential partnerships with other brands. For example, data from MikMak’s Shopping Index shows that people often pair Valentine’s Day candy with beauty and personal care products. This kind of information could lead to a lot of potential success for beauty and candy brands alike. Perhaps partnering with a well-known candy brand could help shoppers make the final decision to add a beauty product to their cart as they shop. Product adjacencies like this exist year-round and shift with the seasons, so having a high-volume holiday like Valentine’s Day is a great indicator of what products people will buy together year round, and in years to come.
The role of eGrocery in category crossing
Say you encounter a chocolate commercial for Valentine’s Day while scrolling through Instagram. When you go to your cart on Target, you remember that you need to restock for date night, and also purchase your favorite lotions, eyeliners, and foundation. Beauty and personal care brands may be surprised to find that their products are popular not just at specialized retailers like Sephora or Ulta but increasingly also at grocery eRetailers like Amazon Fresh, Instacart, Kroger, Peapod, and Walmart Grocery.
Consumers buy grocery products approximately 6.4x more times per year than they buy beauty products. That means in a brick and mortar setting, consumers encounter personal care and beauty products and consider purchasing them while they are picking up groceries. However, that doesn’t mean this isn’t happening with online shopping as well. In eGrocery, your consumers can also have up to 6.4x times more opportunities to add your product to their cart at checkout. Understanding eCommerce and online shopping habits can help beauty brands leverage more purchase consideration from their shoppers.
Consumers appreciate the convenience of shopping for multiple purposes in one place, as well as the flexibility of receiving the product how they want and when they want it. This year, it is especially important for brands to pay attention to availability, product pairings, adjacencies, and even a deeper understanding of the consumers themselves.
For more ways you can access the most useful insights and information gathered this Valentine’s day, schedule a demo with MikMak today.
