A NATURAL FIT

It’s no easy feat to cut through the noise in the cosmetics aisle at the grocery store, but spotting a hole in the market, Earthwise Group managed to do just that.

The Challenge

The skincare market is an incredibly crowded one, with new brands being launched frequently, vying for eyeballs on the shelf. While supermarkets are packed to the brim with skincare products boasting all sorts of benefits, the cost is generally quite low and this is often reflected in the quality of the product. So Earthwise gave itself the challenge of developing a superior natural skincare brand that actually worked, at a supermarket price. By offering high-street quality at an affordable price, Glow Lab had an opportunity to win share from existing competitors, while attracting new buyers into the supermarket who would normally purchase their skincare in other channels like pharmacies and beauty stores. It also spotted another gap in the skincare market, that mainstream skincare was in decline, while the natural and cosmeceutical (cosmetic with medicinal properties) segments were both increasing. There was a clear opportunity to develop an offering that appealed to both these growing segments and create a New Zealandfirst in natural skincare.

The Response

As is customary when launching any brand, Earthwise first conducted extensive consumer research to test the concept with potential end-users – women. It explored attitudes to natural skincare, finding out what was important to women in a skincare range and their understanding of cosmeceuticals. It also tested some design options to gauge their reaction to the look and feel of a proposed new brand. Through its research, Earthwise uncovered a number of insights: women found natural skincare sometimes didn’t work, didn’t absorb well or deliver the luxurious experience of the less natural brands. It also found consumers were increasingly aware of scientific ingredients, and looking for the efficacy high-end cosmeceutical brands like L’oreal offer, but without the high price tag. Armed with this information, Glow Lab was born, boasting a marriage of nature and science. Earthwise developed a distinctive, elegant look for the brand to make it stand out in-store. And, in looking and feeling like a high-end skincare brand, it could set the bar higher, redefining what customers could expect from a natural skincare brand. The ability to price competitively was essential to attracting consumers at scale and to push the range, it let consumers test the products in-store at point of purchase. It also teamed up with magazines Good and New Zealand Weddings, sent PR kits to media and beauty editors, joined Countdown trade shows and sold trial packs – a mini products pack to create an affordable entry point to the brand. A three-month digital campaign was also launched to reach its demographic where multiple creative executions were optimised based on efficiency.

The Result

In only a few short months, Glow Lab gained an impressive market share at the supermarket. New Zealand grocery retailers also recognised that consumer demand for natural skincare was growing, creating additional natural areas in-store and Glow Lab successfully lobbied for an impressive share of it. This, in itself, is a huge testament to the success of the Glow Lab brand, going from one highly prized shelf at launch, to two shelves in less than a year in such a fiercely contested area. Further, the success of the Glow Lab brand saw retailers request new ranges, with Glow Lab rolling out an extended offering in the hair and body care aisles this year. Glow Lab also secured national ranging across the Tasman too, with Priceline Pharmacy and Woolworths Australia picking up the brand nationwide in 280 and 900 stores respectively. And with the brand set to continue to grow in the Australian market, along with projected growth into China, the wider Asian, UK , USA and Canadian markets, it looks like Glow Lab won’t be slowing down anytime soon.