Increase in Sales Aligned with Mask Removal and Seasonal Transition
Targeting Consumers through Beauty Week and New Product Pop-ups
A customer is selecting cosmetics at the Lotte Department Store main branch. (Photo by Lotte Department Store)
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Since the government announced the full lifting of outdoor mask mandates on the 26th of last month, cosmetics sales at department stores have started to rise again.
According to Lotte Department Store on the 6th, from the 26th of last month when the outdoor mask mandate was lifted until the 4th of this month, total cosmetics sales increased by 20% compared to the previous year. When looking specifically at the color cosmetics category such as lipsticks, sales rose by 25%, showing a notable increase. Shinsegae Department Store also saw a 13.3% increase in total cosmetics category sales during the same period, and Galleria recorded a 6% growth in color cosmetics sales.
This growth appears to be driven by the combination of the outdoor mask mandate lift and seasonal characteristics. Typically, in September and October, customers tend to switch to nude tones in color cosmetics for autumn or change basic skincare products considering the seasonal transition. An industry insider analyzed, “The seasonal transition period is generally a time when cosmetics sales noticeably increase, and combined with the lifting of the outdoor mask mandate, it seems to have shown even stronger growth compared to the previous year.”
The department store industry plans to actively target the increasing demand. Lotte Department Store has decided to focus on cosmetics during the autumn regular sale. Considering the expected rise in cosmetics demand due to the mask mandate lift, they have increased promotions such as gift certificates and discounts when purchasing beauty products. On the 10th, they will also hold ‘Beauty Week,’ featuring 33 luxury beauty brands including ‘Lanc?me,’ ‘Yves Saint Laurent,’ and ‘Sisley.’ Shinsegae Department Store has prepared to welcome customers by opening a new ‘SKⅡ’ pop-up store at the Times Square branch. Galleria Department Store also opened a store for the famous French brand ‘Astier de Villatte’ on the 24th of last month to prepare for the growing cosmetics demand.
An industry insider said, “As COVID-19 enters the endemic phase, cosmetics sales are continuously increasing. While we will keep monitoring the situation, we plan to gradually expand makeup show events and pop-up stores where customers can experience products, which had been postponed at each branch compared to before.”
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