Julep?s crowdsourcing strategy inspired by mobile mind shift
NEW YORK ? A Julep executive at the NRF 104th Annual Convention & Expo said the beauty products company?s move to let the wisdom of the crowd influence product offerings stems from mobile?s growing prominence, spearheading a deep dive into social retail.
Julep become a fast-growing beauty brand thanks to its blend of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail, supported by a powerful social media strategy. The company?s achievements point to the power of crowdsourcing to provide important input in brand building.
?The wisdom of the crowd can be helpful,? said Jane Park, founder and CEO of Julep. ?They help you to come to solutions faster, help you get to market faster.
?And it takes a while to get this happening,? she said during the session, ?Crowdsourcing for Dollars: Tap Your Customers to Improve Products, Merchandising and Sales.? ?You have to open yourself up and share what you are working on. And maybe the community will say it?s not such a great idea.?
?And one of the things about crowdsourcing is that it has to be for real,? Ms. Park said. ?People can tell instantly today if you are not intending to listen to them. If you?re not intending to use their input to drive this business decision.?
Nail parlor
Founded as a nail parlor in 2007, Julep has expanded into a rapidly growing beauty brand that takes an end-to-end approach to product development, testing, and distribution.
Jane Park at NRF show.
Customer connection has remained at the heart of its approach.
Julep monthly brings a portfolio of cosmetics, nail color and skincare products to market, or more than 300 per year.
It introduces new products through its Julep Maven subscription program, a customizable beauty box. Its best-selling items also can be found at julep.com, Sephora, Nordstrom and QVC.
Julep?s Plié Wand, an acclaimed ergonomic nail polishing brush that bends, pivots, and attaches to the top of nail polish caps, embodies the company?s belief in sourcing the crowd for ideas. Julep first tested demand for the wand through a $75,000 crowdfunding campaign.
?We had never developed anything like this before,? Ms. Park said. ?We won the [Allure] best in beauty breakthroughs award in nine months.?
Julep continues to involve the public in the evolution of the polishing wand. In October, Julep requested social participation from fans in San Francisco for a treasure hunt using physical ads to promote the product.
Consumers were invited to snap photos of the ads and post them to social media using hashtag #PlieWand. At random, the brand selected one person to win a Julep prize pack worth $100.
Email blasts
Julep?s vivid, high-quality advertising reflects its personal outreach to consumers. Its email blasts tend to feature enticing captions, imagery and artistic nail polishing creations.
Julep presentation slide captures company's philosophy.
Julep?s philosophy is that beauty is connection, not competition, illusion or perfection.
Connecting with real women in real time and helping them connect with each other is the experiential change Julep brings to beauty, and a reason for its rapid growth, Ms. Park is quoted on Julep?s Web site.
?Finding the right moment is incredibly important,? she said during the presentation. ?A lot of times companies do research too early in the process and ask too generic a question. And then too late, right when they?re about to launch.?
Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York.