Space NK Shifts to Online Makeup Consultations, Beauty Masterclasses
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LONDON — With videoconferencing rocketing in popularity, Space NK has seen a surge in online makeup-related enquiries by people who want to look good on — and off — screen.
The site will be offering makeup advice as part of a new digital platform, #TogetherAtHome, to connect and to provide at-home experiences for its customer base.
There are masterclasses, which will be open for registration on April 10, that target a few areas of beauty such as wellness and skin care, and one-on-one consultations, commencing on April 17, that focus on makeup advice. Despite the majority of people staying at home, Emma Simpson Scott, chief marketing officer of Space NK, said the latter category is doing surprisingly well.
She said she saw a 360 percent uplift in makeup-related queries last week compared to a normal week in store and attributed that to the rise in online FaceTime and videoconferencing.
“One aspect is being ‘camera ready’ and looking their best as they do more video calls which are close up and sometimes not in the best lighting. Products that boost your glow, offer lightweight coverage or that ‘blur’ without masking definitely seem to be working well.
“The other aspect seems to be a sense of escapism and fun while at home when people are otherwise quite anxious, color cosmetics has really surprised us with a surge in recent weeks. The trend has been less about staples and more about what’s new and different, which isn’t necessarily what we would have predicted,” said Margaret Mitchell, chief merchant of Space NK.
“Without our physical stores we have challenged our team to integrate solutions that are relevant to our customers’ current mind-set. The content strand #TogetherAtHome aims to provide motivational, inspirational and educational content,” said Simpson Scott.
The platform will allow customers to book masterclasses online as well as one-on-one consultations with Space NK beauty experts via Zoom for makeup queries, skin-care concerns, working from home looks and hair-care routines.
Group masterclasses, which are free of charge, will see industry experts such as Dr. Dennis Gross and Charlotte Tilbury alongside members of the Sarah Chapman and Kate Somerville team, host digital beauty events. Other types of events include breathing and relaxation classes with Anita Kaushal, cofounder of Mauli Rituals.
“The masterclass content will be as broad as possible to connect with as many of our customers as we can and cover topics we know they are keen to hear about,” said Simpson Scott, who added the goal is to provide customers with the same services the retailer is known for.
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