Beauty brand SHEGLAM has grown exponentially in the UK over the past few years and its General Manager of Europe Kenneth Liu explains how the brand has grown its presence in the UK.
He says the biggest driver of growth for SHEGLAM within the UK market, is the brands “product innovation and clear differentiation from other brands”.
According to Liu, it takes a three step approach to innovation, its first its R&D innovation. SHEGLAM works with manufacturers, ingredient supplies and laboratories across Japan, Korea and Italy.
The second is consumer-inspired innovation, Liu points out that SHEGLAM places consumers at the heart of its development process.
He says: “Instead of relying solely on traditional top-down marketing, SHEGLAM actively gathers feedback through monthly global consumer sessions and one-on-one engagements. Post-launch, products are continuously refined based on consumer feedback, operating in a model similar to iterative “product updates”.
And its third step, he explains is creative innovation when it comes to concept, design and packaging.
He says: “SHEGLAM treats makeup not only as a functional category but also as a creative medium. The brand develops visually distinctive collections and collaborates with global IPs to expand cultural relevance. Its first major collaboration, SHEGLAM x Willy Wonka, received the “Best Beauty & Health IP Collaboration of the Year” award.”
The firm has had to adapt to changing market that continues to grow. Liu points out that its interesting how consumers in the region have evolved.
He says: “One of the clearest shifts we were observing is how consumers discover and evaluate colour cosmetics. Social platforms such as TikTok are an important starting point for discovery, particularly for new shades, textures, and application techniques. Products can gain visibility very quickly when they resonate with creators and consumers online.”
He also points out that the market is currently extremely “fragmented” as both established brands and challenger brands compete for attention.
He says: “This creates a very dynamic environment where new products can gain traction quickly, but only could gain sustainable presence if they deliver on performance.”
He says the biggest driver of growth for SHEGLAM within the UK market, is the brands “product innovation and clear differentiation from other brands”.
He explains that one of the biggest lessons for SHEGLAM about operating in the UK market, is how informed its consumers are.
He explains that in the UK shoppers are exposed to plenty of social media content through a number of different platforms but despite this rarely purchase impulsively, “they evaluate, compare and then choose what fits their routine”.
However, consumers are open to trying new brands when “there is a clear sense of differentiation and value behind the product”.
Consumers also want brands that “combine innovation with value”.
He says: “People remain excited by new product launches and discovering differentiated products, but they are also becoming increasingly selective about what earns a place in their routines.”
“Rather than following a single beauty trend, consumers in the UK and Ireland are increasingly creating their own looks and routines, which creates opportunities for brands that can offer both creativity and accessibility.”
Liu adds that SHEGLAM has seen “strong engagement” with products that are different from others on the market, such as a product that has a “fun format” or a “creative concept”.
He says “Social commerce remains an important part of our growth strategy because it plays a key role in how beauty consumers explore new products.”
“Many consumers, including people in the UK and Ireland, first come across new products through social platforms, where they can see products in action, learn application techniques, and hear authentic feedback from creators and other users.”
SHEGLAM has seen its consumers move seamlessly between online and offline channels.
He explains: “A product may be discovered on social media, researched online, and ultimately purchased in-store, or vice versa. That’s why we don’t view social commerce and retail as separate channels. Instead, we focus on creating a consistent consumer experience across both.”
“We have seen this dynamic play out in several European markets. For example, when we expanded into the Netherlands and Belgium, we worked with NikkieTutorials to showcase a look created using some of her favourite SHEGLAM products that were available through our retail partner Kruidvat. Consumers could discover the look online and then experience and purchase the products through a local retail environment.”
“In the UK and Ireland, TikTok continues to be one of the most influential platforms for beauty discovery and, increasingly, purchase. It remains an important destination for consumers to discover new products, learn new techniques, and engage with beauty communities.”
However, Liu points out that despite the popularity of TikTok consumers in the UK rarely rely on a single platform or channel, preferring instead to combine social media discovery with online research, reviews and recommendations.
He says: “That’s one of the reasons physical retail remains so important in beauty. Since launching in Boots last year, we’ve seen first hand how social discovery and retail experience complement one another. Consumers may first hear about a product or a particular shade online, but many still value the opportunity to explore and experience it in person before making a purchase.
Liu highlights that strong social engagement has helped to introduce the brand to new consumers. Its plans to grow its presence from being in 300 Boots stores to 500 stores has also assisted it in building awareness.
He adds: “In the UK and Ireland, we are focused on building deeper relationships with consumers by listening closely to their feedback and creating more opportunities for engagement, both online and offline.”
“Our goal is to build a strong community by inspiring self-expression and celebrating local beauty voices. We are also planning to build a loyal fan community in the UK & Ireland to strengthen our interaction with local fans. Through ongoing engagement with them, we hope to continuously launch products and content that better meet the needs of the consumers.”
Liu explains stores have been key to its strategy, they are still the places consumers go to test and compare products before purchasing.
And, he’s found that many shoppers want” reassurance as much as inspiration”. A shopper may see a product online but often will want to experience it in person before purchasing and vice versa.
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