In the beauty industry, retailers use display booths and stands to demonstrate and advertise products and methods of use. Display stands are most prominent in large retail outlets where trained beauty product professionals apply and illustrate how products can be used and what immediate effects are available to the consumer. These professionals are also a component of the retail displays, indicating via their own use how a product can be applied and maintained in an ideal environment and for long periods of time (throughout the work day or longer in some cases).
At the core, display stands incorporate the branding and packaging aspects of the beauty industry into a one-stop mechanism for the consumer to test and evaluate the product before purchasing or using it on his own. Some displays, like those for lipstick applicators and perfume and cologne sprays, do not require the aid of a beauty professional or salesperson, allowing the consumer to test the product for use without the hassle or concern of a pressured buying environment.
Perfume and cologne stands often retain a professional to indicate what brands are popular or feature similar scents to a discontinued line of products. These salespersons also promote similarly branded lotions and care products that feature the scents of popular perfumes and colognes, often in gift sets for seasonal purchases and holidays. Brands such as Calvin Klein or Kenneth Cole feature gift sets for women and men, with the latter incorporating lotions and aftershaves into the collections and brands of the scented products. Increasingly, free samples of product and brand lines are also offered, to better familiarize the consumer with the variety of a manufacturer’s offerings.
Displays often require the attention and aid of a professional who can demonstrate how the manufacturer or company intends the product to be used via demonstration or a makeover for the consumer. Makeovers demonstrate the talents of professionals employed at the counter and the positive benefits that derive from using the products applied, but also force consumers to experience products that they are generally disinterested in using. Consumers may not follow these procedures for personal and private use, but the application by retail professionals should follow the advertising and marketing campaigns that attracted the consumer to inquire about the use of a product and its benefits. The ideal application by cosmetic professionals allows consumers to select and test a variety of products to match their individual traits with the right product or brand of products. Product campaigns can give consumers expectations of products that may not be fulfilled. In that case, makeovers may demonstrate an appearance that is unattainable based on the specifics of each consumer, before considering the costs associated with purchasing an entire brand or line of products.
Beauty product professionals and salespersons may be employed by the retailer where the display is located, but are often trained by the manufacturer and provide information about further product use to the customer. Displays also allow various manufacturers and producers to compete for consumers in large retail spaces. Often, display stands and product counters are adjacent to competitors selling similar products and brands. Consumers may engage the help of various counter clerks and professionals to find the product they are most comfortable applying and wearing.
Some retail outlets, like superstore chains, do not require trained salespersons or professionals, instead they stock the products in displays that indicate use and promote marketability. Other manufacturers dispense with the use of displays in retail outlets altogether, hiring salespersons and trained professionals to sell the product directly to the consumers in their home. The advent of online advertising and marketing gives a new outlet and point-of-interest for manufacturers and consumers to interact and test product interest and use. With the Internet, professionals are dispensed with for the direct interaction between the manufacturer and consumer in an interactive market. Internet tools also allow manufacturers and advertisers to demonstrate the wide diversity of brands and products.
Displays provide retailers with point-of-sale devices to market and advertise the products and brands inherent to the cosmetics industry. Furthermore, the displays in a store give consumers an opportunity to test and examine the products for sale with and without the help of a sales associate. These facets give the cosmetics industry an outlet to determine what products and brands are popular, but displays also demonstrate an image and look that the consumer should desire and emulate with the aid of the products on display.
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