Tamera Ferro

If you work for a brand expanding into retail or have retail expansion on your roadmap, give this podcast episode a listen! Greg Shuey asked fantastic questions about DYPER's journey, and I think our discussion can better prepare D2C brands for future growth. #retail #D2C #brandgrowth #CPG

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Had the great opportunity to feature on the Shajwani's Notions podcast to talk about the power of personal branding! If you’re interested in my thoughts, you can listen here - https://lnkd.in/epV6gc7k Thank you Aditya for the invite and a great discussion - really admire the conversations you have on the podcast and happy to alongside some great guests! #personalbrand #personalbranding #personalbrandpodcast #podcast

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Love this NSQ by Rachel Brown in Beauty Independent. While one size never fits all, there is an emerging trend with more nascent brands looking to bring in executive teams and a founder empowering the team to run the day-to-day while the founder exploits their superpower. At True Beauty Ventures, we are firm believers in identifying and enhancing a founder’s superpowers. It is one of the first things we try to assess when getting to know a brand. Part of this exercise requires understanding a founder’s strengths and weaknesses and where their strengths can most positively impact the brand and business while aligning with their interests and passions. In the article, Cristina Nuñez, co-founder and partner at True Beauty Ventures, emphasizes that appointing C-suite executives early can greatly benefit emerging beauty brands. She highlights that early leadership helps to establish a clear strategic direction, operational efficiency, and strong investor relations. Nunez notes that experienced executives can drive growth and navigate the complexities of the beauty industry effectively, which is crucial for startups aiming for long-term success and market differentiation.

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13 years is a very long time. From a brand partnership perspective, it's relatively rare. It's hard for any long-lasting relationship to end, but there were a few takeaways worth mentioning here (branding-wise.) 🌸 Consistency and quality are crucial, as customers develop strong expectations and emotional connections with long-standing products. 🌸 Effective communication about changes can prevent backlash; Equinox’s lack of advance notice led to significant dissatisfaction. 🌸 Gathering customer feedback beforehand shows that their opinions matter, maintaining trust and loyalty. 🌸 Aligning new offerings with existing brand values is essential to avoid perceived drops in quality. Ultimately, respecting customer preferences and maintaining perceived value is key. #Branding #Partnership #Lessons

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The traditional funnel is dead, and Gen Z killed it. Or did they? Let's be real - this shift has been brewing for years. Archrival collaborated with Vogue Business to share insights into how Gen Z's purchasing journey is shifting the way we engage with consumers: https://lnkd.in/eDRe-afB. Essentially, they argue that it's time to adopt a new marketing model. It's no longer a funnel 🔻, its a 🔁. 🔍 Key insights: → People crave authentic community, not just transactions →The journey is now a loop 🔁, not a linear path 🔻 →Influencers > traditional ads →In-person experiences still matter This isn't just about Gen Z. It's about human-centric marketing, period. We trust people, not brands. Brands that collaborate with real people win. Remember when we started talking about "engagement" and "brand loyalty" for Millennials? That was the writing on the wall. Gen Z just cranked it up to 101. This approach isn't just for selling sneakers or lattes. It's reshaping how we connect on social impact, movements, and even political campaigns. Case in point: Kamala Harris' presidential campaign just adopted the "brat" brand for her Kamala HQ accounts (I'll explain in the comments for those who are confused), and are showing that they're going all-in on memes and community-driven content. Smart move, if you ask me! TL;DR: Whether you're marketing to Gen Z, Millennials, or beyond - it's time to ditch the traditional B2C funnel and embrace the loop.  ↳  foster community  ↳ Build genuine connections  ↳ Stop thinking about consumers and embrace collaborators. When it comes to B2B the traditional model is still in play, but it might be time for service brands to start adopting some of the Gen Z magic ✨ there, too. PS: How is your brand embracing the shift?

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Loved that this week’s No Stupid Questions by Beauty Independent and Rachel Brown was prompted by my wise partner Rich Gersten! Of course, I agreed with him 😉 but so did many of our colleagues to a certain extent. Not all superheroes wear capes 🦸‍♂️, but all founders have superpowers 💪🏻! And I firmly believe in finding those superpowers, augmenting them, and letting them have the most positive impact on the business, while also aligning with the founders passions and interests. Sometimes that means bringing in #1 or #2 in roles ranging from CEO, President, GM, COO and several combinations in between. The most important considerations when making this big decision are whether founder and executive have: ⚡️Defined roles and responsibilities between the founder and executive (know each other’s lane); ⚡️Clear and thoughtful reporting structure for the organization (everyone knows who they report into); ⚡️Mutual respect and trust (let each other do your jobs) And of course, as a founder, pick your partner wisely. Always. Check out the full article for great insights from Tina Henry Bou-Saba Manica Blain Deborah Benton Sarah Woelfel Rohit Banota Rebecca Levin Jeremy Triefenbach and many others beauty industry colleagues! True Beauty Ventures #beautyinvesting #beauty #VC

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Luxury Evolves: How to Cater to the Multigenerational Consumer The Bain & Company-Altagamma Luxury Study 2023 predicts a fascinating shift in the luxury market. We're moving towards a multigenerational landscape, with Gen Z emerging as a powerful force alongside established luxury consumers, which will have significant impacts on the demands consumers place on brands. 😎 Generational Power Shift: Gen Z, with its focus on experiences and meaning, will influence not just their own purchases but also those of older generations. Its going to be about far more than convenience & price. 🙃 Rising Multigenerational Complexity: Brands need to cater to a wider range of values and preferences, attempting to appeal to multiple generations is going to be tough. Sell to the today? appeal to the future? or figure out both-ism 😲 Evolving Value Systems: Luxury goes beyond just the product; experiences and social impact will be increasingly important. This also goes for other verticals, though are younger generations doing what they really say they do/will, when it comes to who they purchase from? i.e. ultra fast-fashion Marketers, Consider: 🏗 Embrace Omnichannel: Cater to a tech-savvy audience across all platforms, delivering interactions that enhance & excite consumers. The insight also offers great opportunity in re-establishing stores as a hub for interaction & experience. 🌎 Focus on Sustainability & Social Responsibility: Gen Z prioritizes brands with a conscience, with a view of 'joining them', not just 'purchasing from them'. They are a frugal audience though, so consider the value you provide. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Personalisation is Key: Tailor experiences and marketing messages to resonate with different generations. I'm not a huge fan of segmentation, though I believe in personalisation to resonate at scale. 😇 Create Emotional Connections: Luxury is about more than just price; build a story and values that connect. There is as much emotive appeal in luxury, as there is rationale, likely more. Understanding & seeing these changing habits and demands will likely feel like juggling fireballs, though its going to be a fun adventure for us all. #luxurymarketing #multigenerational #baincompany #altagamma

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Thrilled to have attended the panelist conference at Uplink Expo NYC on June 20th! Here are some crucial insights from beauty brand founders that are reshaping my approach in the industry: Exit Strategies: Learned that most beauty brand acquisitions happen without active pursuit from founders – truly organic growth can lead to organic acquisition opportunities. 🌱 Product Development Insights: Retailers' push for frequent product launches is intense, but it's vital to focus on quality over quantity – too many launches can overwhelm your brand and oversaturate the market. 🚫📈 Marketing Mastery: As a veteran in advertising, I understand the gravity of budgeting for CPG brands. The conference reiterated the importance of clever cash flow management for emerging brands to sustain and grow market presence. 💸📊 Capital and Retail Synergy: The financial bar to enter large retailers is high. Raising capital early is key, and a significant purchase order can be a powerful tool to fuel your funding round. 💡🔑 This conference has not only provided me with critical knowledge but also reaffirmed the importance of strategic thinking in the journey of a beauty brand. Let's connect and discuss the future of beauty! #UplinkExpo #BeautyIndustry #ProductDevelopment #MarketingStrategy #Retail #CapitalRaising

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Fellow Sephora fans! Who else listened to Zena Arnold, CMO of Sephora US, while restocking skincare supplies lately? Treat yourself to both (key points below). 🌟 Brand and performance are interconnected. Brand is who you are, what you stand for, and why you exist. Performance is how you drive sales, conversions, and the biz. The best marketing is when they work together (plus, you won't know how to drive performance until you confirm your consumer and brand). 🌟 Omnichannel is big and getting bigger. Blurring channel lines is only the beginning. Today you can "click and collect" (buy online and pickup). Tomorrow, I can't wait for more virtual try-ons, recos, in-store VR, and more. 🌟 Understanding your consumer is everything. Get to know them in traditional ways (insights reports, brand studies). And less traditional ways (social, reviews, favorite influencers). Get out into the wild, observe and learn. Keep the customer voice at the core of all you do. 🌟 Current customers are gold. Your current customers are your best brand ambassadors. While some brands are making fancy ads to woo new guests, Sephora nurtures the current. Zena says, "Your current customers telling friends about the great experience of your product or brand is stronger than any ad you can make." 🌟 Remember what it's all for... A healthy level of stress is helpful to light a fire, especially if you haven't figured it all out YET (you will). Our loves ones (especially little ones) are the best experience and can inspire exciting, new growth. https://lnkd.in/g_4AS_JW

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Selling to consumers is hard. Mastering the art and science of that process takes a lot. Selling to retailers is also hard. Mastering that process is what provides your trajectory for scalable success. Selling into beauty supply stores provides lower financial stakes and is an avenue that could be considered by most brand founders selling to Black consumers in the US. But how do you sell your products into the stores? You start by going into the local ones that are closest to where you live and the consumer you want buying your products. Typically stores are purchasing from other wholesale distributors but they do have the ability to one off purchase your products. They do however have to be sold that once they take your products into the store that they will move. That responsibility will reside with you as the brand owner so having some creative marketing plans in place before going into the store works to your benefit.

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Some reflections over this past while on growing a brand in the super saturated ‘clean’ beauty space… While the pandemic shopping boom drove revenue for many #CPG brands and their respective online retail partners the landscape over the past year or so for many of the #indie brand founders I know has been a lil’ volatile for the many reasons we all know about. The cost of living and buying patterns (even for people with deep-ish pockets) have been all over the place. As a brand, our costs in every department have increased across the board. Like many, we amended our prices a while back to reflect this. Our #community has been very gracious, showing genuine understanding wrt the thoughtful increases we have taken to continue to be a healthy business. Gladly, both our #B2B and #DTC partners know we offer genuine value for money and are in no way gouging (esp for our quality/efficacy and #missiondriven values. That being said, there are always some consumers who think beauty products are too expensive despite the consumer price index for cosmetics rising slower than the overall US consumer price index (as noted by Rachel Brown of Beauty Independent a little while back). Tbh, most people have no idea how much it takes to develop, manufacture and market a product line and they’re certainly not aware that beauty retailers take 40% to 60% (which btw they totally need to do to thrive, not just survive). So for a $50 SRP that means a brand gets about $25 and with this sum must cover all COGS, production, packaging, logistics, PD, rent, marketing, people, legal, insurance, clinicals and more. Plus if you work with a distributor/ broker that’s another +/- 25% off whls. Add with the expectation of free shipping/samples, no-questions asked returns plus the added cost of being a #socialimpact brand (like us at Graydon Skincare) it’s no wonder so many excellent brands have bit the dust. So what’s a brand founder to do? I’ve been speaking to a quite a few founders in the same “clean” space as us, up here in Canada. I’d say that many of us are aligned in our strategy of playing the #longgame and not training one’s customer base to wait and stock up during a sale. At Graydon, we are indeed cautious of discounting. To steadily build revenue and mantain healthy margins we focus on product education that offers our 35+ clientele with paired down, effective routines often in bundles and/or through subscriptions. We find that taking a transparent #lessismore strategy and offering #multifunctional products offer today’s (mature) beauty enthusiasts a pleasant contrarian option against ongoing societal pressure to over consume. I’m super glad to say that despite the above mentioned ongoing uncertainty, I’d say that the future (for us) is looking a fair bit more friendly. Would love to hear what your experiences have been like, no matter what end of the stick you’re on! #graydon #entrepreneurslife #cleanbeauty #growingpains 📷Pedro Marques

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As the founder of Holistic Nurture, my journey is deeply personal and driven by a mission to help others and protect our planet. My story begins with my battle with acne, a challenge that profoundly impacted my life. Through this struggle, I discovered the healing power of organic skincare, leading me to create Holistic Nurture, a brand dedicated to providing natural and effective solutions for healthy skin. Surviving acne was not just a physical journey but an emotional and psychological one. The constant search for effective treatments led me to realize the importance of pure, natural ingredients. Conventional products often exacerbated my condition, but organic alternatives brought relief and healing. This personal experience ignited a passion in me to help others facing similar struggles, inspiring the foundation of Holistic Nurture. Holistic Nurture is built on the principles of using locally sourced, organic ingredients that are gentle on the skin and kind to the environment. Our products are free from harmful chemicals, focusing on natural solutions that promote overall well-being. By choosing organic, we not only support healthier skin but also contribute to a healthier planet. Organic farming practices reduce pollution, conserve water, and enhance soil fertility, making a positive impact on our environment. In addition to helping individuals achieve better skin health, Holistic Nurture aims to raise awareness about the benefits of organic products. By educating our customers, we empower them to make informed choices that benefit both their health and the environment. Our commitment to sustainability extends to our packaging, which is designed to minimize waste and promote recycling. My journey from an acne survivor to the founder of Holistic Nurture is a testament to the transformative power of nature. Through this venture, I strive to help more people embrace their natural beauty while contributing to a more sustainable world. By choosing organic, we can all take steps towards a healthier future for ourselves and our planet. In conclusion, Holistic Nurture is more than a skincare brand; it is a movement towards healthier living and environmental stewardship. My personal experience with acne has shaped my commitment to providing natural, effective solutions that empower individuals and protect the planet. Together, we can make a difference, one organic product at a time.

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I want to talk about consumer behavior. We spend a lot of $$ on focus groups and research to understand it, but there's a huge gap between what people say they do and what they actually do in stores. I've learned not to rely only on research; I use it as a guide. The truth is, in studies, people often tell us what they think we want to hear, not what they really do. For example, I recently observed shoppers checking nutritional labels on products full bad for you ingredients. When I asked why they bought these items, they quickly said it was for their kids, not themselves. As a parent, I know we all want the best for our kids. This got me thinking: if they’re willing to buy unhealthy items for their children, what are they buying for themselves? This contradiction revealed a deeper truth about consumer behavior. People often rationalize their choices to align with a better image of themselves, even if their actions tell a different story. This insight shows the the importance of trusting your instincts and observing real consumer behavior in stores, rather than just believing research or studies. Real behavior at the point of sale tells us more than any survey can. It highlights the need to watch closely and listen carefully to what consumers do, not just what they say.

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Beauty’s rapid growth is starting to slow. Unprecedented inflation has finally taken its bite out of the Beauty Industry. Even the "Lip Stick Effect" can't always bolster and rescue an entire industry from the current economic woes. #beautyindustry #lipstickeffect #economicwoes #beauty #beautybusiness #skincare #skincareproducts #lipsticklover #inflation #2024 https://lnkd.in/gnikGnWk

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Day 1 from #AmazonPrimeDay2024 is underway. Here’s what the Pacvue team has noticed so far: #1. Brands started spending before Prime Day officially kicked off: Our data showed ~+15%SP & ~+23%SB increase in brand average daily spend in the leading 10 days #2. Apple 🍎 takes over the main Prime Day landing page on mobile: On Day 1, the full above the fold page on mobile and 50% of the second scroll was dominated by Apple products, showing an aggressive approach to get Apple products front and center #3.  Amazon brands are stealing the spotlight: Amazon Basics seem to be prominent in cross-category searches, making the space even more competitive for brands #4. Amazon tests AI in a big way for Prime Day: This Prime Day marks the debut of #Rufus, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant - a new way for shoppers to get personalized recommendations just by having a conversation. Big implications here for how brands should prepare their product pages!  #5. Target Plays 4D Chess: Whether it was on purpose or not, Target didn’t list products as discounted during Circle Week - which made Amazon’s algorithm give away the buy box to other sellers. This shows the risk of counting on the algorithm - and why it’s important to keep monitoring your sales and product pages in real-time during the week!  Adobe forecast a new record of $14 billion in sales this Prime Day… what do you think? Are records getting broken? How’s everyone’s Prime Day 2024 going so far? ⁉

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Great and provocative read on Liquid Deaths’s success story. So many insights and examples which are relevant for FMCG challenger brands as well. Mark Ritson claims that “… if you step back and look at the original ‘four Ps’, it is almost impossible not to acknowledge that while the promotional P has its place, the product P is invariably the most important tactical consideration. Shitty marketing can surely kill a great product, but without a successful, product even the best marketing does little other than speed its own demise.” And I fully agree (see my earlier post for details) - so if you’re not yet following Mark, do it asap. It’s worth it (and entertaining). #challengerbrands #productlaunches #offlineretail

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Revolve recently updated their return policy, which had my TikTok FYP buzzing with consumer conversation. Let's break down why shoppers care and how this will drastically change consumer behavior (for the better!!): Why now: First reported by pop culture reporter Samantha Cohen (see TT stitch below), Revolve recently changed their return policy from 60 to 30 days, to break a bad habit of customers repeatedly buying and returning large volumes of products. For context: A big part of Revolve's e-commerce dominance has been due in part to their fast 2-day shipping and lenient return policy, coupled with large Revolve hauls being shared on social media, and then a large portion of said hauls getting returned, for a variety of reasons. While these flexible shipping & return policies were great tactics for raising positive brand affinity, it became time for the brand to crack down 🔽 In a recent earnings call, their CFO reported their return rate was a shocking 60% - twice as high as the industry e-commerce return average ‼ Here's where things turn positive - at Locker, we pride ourselves on helping shoppers make smarter purchases. Across categories and retailers, we see significantly lower return rates than the industry average. In fact, we even wrote about it on Earth Day in 2023, lol: https://lnkd.in/gqKEeYBC So we decided to test out if this still reigns true, even for Revolve (Locker's most shopped brand partner, 400K+ products saved and counting!). We calculated the return rate monthly over the past 2 years. Sure enough, Locker shoppers' Revolve return rate was on average, just 25%.... How?! It's simple enough but, shoppers who "save" products before clicking "buy" are able to have a moment to reflect on their decision and think within context of all of their online purchases, and therefore with confidence. It's contradictory to modern consumer behavior, but we actually encourage adding a step to the consumer journey between discovering and purchasing... ...Instead of building product features (like one-click-checkout) that remove steps from the consumer journey and pressure purchases, we provide a pause. And the result of giving consumers a platform to discover, save, think, and ultimately convert on their own has been astounding for our brand partners. Check out more on our TikTok here: https://lnkd.in/gxuybGnj

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Why is Lululemon so polarizing for Gen Z? We asked Gen Z participants to tell us about a brand they love and a brand they hate, and a certain athleisure brand came up on both ends of the love/hate spectrum 👀 Turns out Lululemon is polarizing for Gen Z because they love the cute, trendy, and comfy clothes, but some socially conscious Gen Zers aren't thrilled with the brand's stance on body image. Want your brand to be something that consumers will LOVE without the hate? Book a free call with us at BixaResearch.com to learn how! #GenZ #BrandLove #MarketResearch #BixaResearch #Lululemon

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