As The Body Shop becomes the latest UK high street staple to exit, we can’t help but delve into why. Why did a brand with decades of success fall in a thriving Beauty market?
Having been a fan, this pulled at our heartstrings but this also got us thinking. When was the last time we heard about a product launch or a must have from here? We've seen former senior employees, rightfully praising the team for all they had done and highlighting how many new lines & how they had moved with trends. However, did this translate? Did the consumer get the message?
We researched and we couldn't recall seeing this. We don’t recall seeing the viral blow up or the press raving about new formulas or really any mention of what was going at the brand. We asked our peers and we found the same. So what were TBS doing and were they shouting about it?
Let's go back... TBS exploded into the market in a time of great uproar. In 1976, a little green shop opened its doors in Brighton and the proved businesses could be a force for good, Consumers had discovered the truth behind cosmetics testing & the desire for natural based products had become a movement. A true trailblazer, this brand went from strength to strength & stores popped up all over the UK. The brand was a rebel, it didn’t conform and it delivered what customers so avidly wanted. What were their key successes?
A Trailblazer in Ethical Beauty
Anita Roddick's vision for The Body Shop was clear from the beginning: to create natural, ethically sourced beauty products that are not tested on animals. At a time when such concepts were considered novel, if not radical, Roddick tapped into a growing consumer consciousness about the environmental and social impact of their purchasing decisions. By championing causes like cruelty-free testing and fair trade sourcing, The Body Shop differentiated itself from competitors and attracted a loyal customer base.
Innovative Marketing Strategies
Beyond its products, The Body Shop utilized innovative marketing strategies that resonated with its target audience. Roddick believed in the power of storytelling and used her own experiences, such as traveling and sourcing ingredients, to create a narrative around the brand. The Body Shop's stores were designed to resemble apothecaries, evoking a sense of naturalness and authenticity. Additionally, the company embraced cause-related marketing, partnering with various organizations and charities to raise awareness about environmental and social issues.
Commitment to Sustainability
Central to The Body Shop's success is its unwavering commitment to sustainability. Long before terms like "greenwashing" entered the mainstream lexicon, The Body Shop was implementing environmentally friendly practices across its supply chain. From using recycled packaging to supporting community trade initiatives, the company demonstrated a holistic approach to sustainability that went beyond mere lip service. This commitment not only appealed to environmentally conscious consumers but also set a precedent for other brands to follow.
Empowering Communities
Another key aspect of The Body Shop's success is its focus on empowering communities, particularly through its community trade program. By sourcing ingredients like shea butter and tea tree oil from marginalized communities, The Body Shop not only ensured the quality of its products but also provided economic opportunities for those in need. This emphasis on fair trade and ethical sourcing resonated with consumers who sought to support businesses that uplifted rather than exploited.
Cultivating a Strong Brand Identity
Throughout its journey, The Body Shop has cultivated a strong brand identity rooted in its core values of ethical consumerism and activism. From its iconic logo to its signature scents, every aspect of the brand experience reinforces its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. This consistent messaging has helped The Body Shop build trust and credibility with consumers, fostering a sense of loyalty that extends beyond product purchases.
So what went wrong?
Fast forward to present day. It’s so demanding to be a successful brand in the market place now. With need needing marketing strategies for multiple media’s & platforms, consumers at the highest levels of education ever, expectations even higher, costs, margins & logistics, it’s a huge challenge to launch, drive and maintain brands success in such a demanding climate.
Brands must be open & honest with themselves, they must regularly review if all their hard work is moving them in the right direction, is this being seen and is this hitting with their audience?
What Are You Made Of?
Product integrity is also an increasing factor in success. Never before have consumers had so much access to information and never before have there been so many options to satisfy them. Keeping up to date with trends, non negotiables & expectations has never been more key. We also must keep pushing our manufacturing partners to work with the latest tech in beauty & wellness, to deliver results to our consumers
Partnerships
A further concern, where The Body Shop was available? With the boom of multi ecom retailers, TBS seemed to remain only on their own platforms & missed a chance to be exposed to new audiences, to be in front of the Beauty Generation, which has been exploding since instagram changed the game in 2016. Failing to leverage the large audiences many of these platforms on, makes it a struggle for any brand to be exposed to new consumers.
This leads on to the lack of going viral, not featuring across the multiple social media platforms & not having the right influencer/ambassador program. These are now a must have, not a nice to have. Without being seeing in the right hands, brands can really struggle to grow their business and make sales happen. From both the exposure to these audiences to the validation that your product is a must have, an ambassador/influencer program is a key factor in the make or break for your brand.
Finally collaborations are an easy way to piggy back of others audiences & credibility. There were some key missed opportunities here, especially given the ethos that propelled TBS to success in the first place.
As brands, we must not get complacent. We must remember that we need to move, change, grow with our consumer. Consumers expectations are changing rapidly & “musts” too.
We must be the full package
Any of this resonating for your brand? Let's jump on a call and get your brand into it's new season. Drop us a DM @weare_altitude or say hello@wearealtitude.co.uk
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