How to Take Your Beauty or Cosmetics Brand International

In the past decades, there has seen unprecedented growth in demand for beauty and cosmetology services. The beauty industry has responded, and companies have made great strides in all corners of the world. As demand for cutting-edge cosmetology services continues to rise, so does competition for lucrative international markets. The marketplace is awash with start-ups and established companies vying for customers, but only a handful manage to take their beauty or cosmetics brands international. Based on international experience, we offer five basic steps you need to take to make a successful transition. 

Photo by Raphael Lovaski on Unsplash

Companies involved in the beauty industry spare no effort to provide state-of-the-art services to meet the insatiable quest for a better-looking body, skin, and overall appearance. A lot of people are now keen to start a career in the industry. Cosmetology has become a staple in the curricula of many U.S. colleges where students can master their craft through a range of in-person and online cosmetologist programs.

Real success only comes to those that manage to take their beauty and cosmetics brands international. This is no easy task. Only a few manage to make a breakthrough, as it takes careful planning, impeccable execution, and utmost dedication to push the envelope. Here are the five basic steps you need to take to lay the foundation for success.

•     Set realistic goals and expectations. Going international might prompt you to set overambitious goals. Make sure you have a phased approach geared toward incremental gains. Set up a list of time-bound milestones to help you gauge progress.
•     Attract top-notch staff. Invest time, money, and effort to attract the crème de la crème of your industry (including locals). There is no room for mediocrity in a company that strives to go international. Make sure you retain qualified staff.
•   Know your customers. Develop a marketing strategy centered around the needs, habits, and even idiosyncrasies of local customers. Translating all your marketing materials into a local language is of critical importance. For instance, as and when you enter Spanish-speaking countries, make sure to use professional Spanish translation services. We know of some companies that badly failed in South America because they did not invest in the quality of the translated materials.
•       Do not compromise quality. Going international means increasing your scale of production. Make every effort not to compromise quality for quantity. It is near impossible to win the hearts and minds of disappointed customers.
•     Be ready to learn from failure. The move is fraught with risk. Expect unforeseen hiccups and pitfalls as you move forward, but don’t let them derail your progress. On the contrary, embrace and learn from failure to improve your business model. Consider having dedicated and qualified staff who will track and gauge progress and ensure continuous learning for greater efficiency.

Final Considerations

To be successful in the beauty industry, companies need to target international markets. If you plan to take your beauty or cosmetics brand international, make sure you follow the above steps to pave the way for ultimate success. You don’t want to ignore the lessons learned by those who tried and failed or the experience of those who dared and succeeded.

Bio

Barbara Fielder is an experienced blogger who enjoys writing about the world’s leading and innovative companies offering cutting-edge products and services all around the world. She likes to write about companies that start small but think big and, eventually, grow into global brands and marquees. Barbara has a proven track record in content writing, research, and essays.