image: Birchbox
Article by BR Tabatha
"In our factories we make cosmetics, in our stores we sell hope" - Charles Revson, founder of Revlon.
If you are one of our subscription box addicts (you know who you are!) then you're probably familiar with Birchbox. The online service was founded in 2010 and now has subscribers across America, France Spain and the UK. That's 800000 members all looking forward to receiving a 'surprise' monthly box packed with beauty, grooming and lifestyle samples from a wide variety of brands. Subscription boxes seemed to be another win for the online beauty industry - something you couldn't get in store. Until now.
In a seemingly backward move, Birchbox have just opened their first store in NYC, bucking the ever-growing (and somewhat sad) trend of physical stores closing their doors to move online. Following the business model 'try, learn, buy', Birchbox founders Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna have opened a beauty fanatic's shopping paradise. With over 250 brands and 2000 products and prices ranges $5 to $200 it's a beauty smorgasbord with something for everyone. There's a B.Y.O.B (Build Your Own Birchbox) section to fill a trial box and even a quick menu service, where, if you know what you want, you can quickly purchase off the menu. And of course, there's an extensive Try Bar.
In an ever-increasing online world, physical stores, particularly smaller businesses, seemed to be declining - it's more frugal for companies to operate online, trimming expenses and widening their market to the limits of the postal service. Birchbox's unusual move can be taken as a sign that,for the beauty industry at least, there's not only still a place for a bricks and mortar store - it can actually be a better consumer experience than shopping online.
Personally I love nothing more than wandering round the beauty department at Smith & Caugheys, but with the serious online shopping behaviour on the Beauty Review forum I thought I must be a rare breed. So I asked around at BR HQ - "What's your favourite place to buy cosmetics?" For HRH Merilyn, the answer is Sephora along the Champs Elysee's in Paris. For Natalie, it's the Beauty Hall at Selfridge's. "It's like being in a casino - you lose all concept of time. I love nothing more than wandering round with my headphones on - the hum of the London crowd disappears and it's just me in the ultimate beauty paradise." BR Zoe spends her Saturday mornings hopping to and from every beauty department in the mall, chatting to brand ambassadors to find out what's new.
So we put our heads together and came up with why we have a better beauty shopping experience in store as opposed to online;
- You can find your perfect shade. There's no hedging your bets based on swatch charts. How many products have you never used because you took a punt online and the colour wasn't right?
- The smell test. Whether it's fragrance or a body lotion, if you don't like the scent you won't use it and they haven't invented scratch and sniff websites yet!
- Knowledge is power. Walk in to any given beauty department or store and you'll find someone to answer your questions, help you narrow your search and give you advice specifically aimed at you, if you need it.
- There's no wait. It's all very well and good saving yourself $2 by buying that well-reviewed zit zapper online, but by the time it arrives, Mount Vesuvius on your forehead has probably calmed down.
- Cardio. Walking round the shops is great exercise. Browsing on your laptop in bed? Not so much.
- Customer Service. We're not saying you're always going to find a smiley face, but at least you won't get an annoying automated message, promising you help within 48 hours!
- You can be sure of the quality. If you order something online and the quality isn't what you thought, can you really be bothered going through the return process?
- You can come out looking better than you went in! Online photo apps just can't compete with an actual makeover!
So, over to you - is the Beauty Crew in the minority when it comes to shopping preferences? Do you prefer to buy your beauty products online or in an actual, for-real store? Get chatting below!
I do love buying I store because you can test your exact shade and try and smell the product. But I also love online shopping especially if I want to buy a bulk order of things as it works out cheaper and I can browse on the site when I want to and save items in my cart. I'd be in the store for a lifetime otherwise! I constantly change my mind about things and often like to think about products I want to buy first.