Sector: Beauty & Health

Years of growth are consolidated in major changes that will impact Retail in the coming years.

• The Health&Beauty sector is undergoing a major style makeover.
• Sustainable and natural materials set the standard: these are the keys.

The Health&Beauty sector is probably one of the most fascinating cases in Retail.

It is a highly traditional sector in its conception of sales and consumer relations which, despite maintaining the classical brand-manufacturer and shop-distributor formula, continues to experience stratospheric growth year after year.

The spectacular growth of the beauty industry: from €483,000 million in 2020 to €716,000 million by 2025.

(commonthread.com)

A status quo which, until now, was possible because consumers were segmented in clearly evident niches; and while brands specialised in differentiating their products, distribution was differentiated by price.

However, in recent years the rules of the game and consumers have changed, and this has led brands and distributors to rethink their strategies and positioning.

This change has unleashed an unprecedented renewal of points-of-sale in the sector. Fresh and trendy proposals, greater bearing of experience over product, integration of technologies,…

All based on a new line of materials that are marking a turning point in the design of beauty shops.

This is our selection of the 5 trending materials for the Health&Beauty sector.

1.Stone textures with great character

The trend in 2022 is undoubtedly natural tones and textures in a celebration and return to traditional materials. Traditional in their conception, but highly refined.

In this case, the pore simulation and roughness of the Petra Series adds personality. A material that encompasses two senses for greater realism.

Check out the Petra Series datasheet in our MateriaLab.

2. Smooth ceramics that add elegance

The truth is that this material is not a sector trend; it is a trend for all Retail.

The great variety of finishes of the ceramic range of Porcelanosa Krion Solid Surface (smooth, colour, veining, grain, etc.) allows them to fit in the design of any beauty shop. The fineness of its finish adds a high level of style and its resistance to chemical and physical abrasion make it ideal for beauty displays and counters.

3. Metal takes centre stage with chrome and brushed finishes

Metal is in fashion and has gone from being a structural element of the sector to taking centre stage as a decorative detail. Thus, the new design proposals for the Health&Beauty spaces of leading brands are marking a clear line in which tubular structures are mainly used to add premium details that enhance fittings with bronze, copper, silver and gold tones in chromed and brushed finishes.

Check out the chrome or brushed efinishes in our MateriaLab.

4. Textured woods and melamine to connect with nature

That sustainability dominates Retail is a fact. This is so to the point that nearly all world leaders in the sector have changed their communication strategies to etch a concept in consumers’ minds above all others: natural.

Something clearly demonstrated by the recent research published by Euromonitor International (Euromonitor)

This trend should undoubtedly be reflected in points-of-sale and traditional melamines have had to renew themselves to offer even more realism and honesty to the sight and touch.

Special mention should also be made of the standardisation that is virtually mandatory today of using woods with FSC quality and sustainability certificates.

The answer is the Vintage wood series. Rustic finishes with veining and imperfections reminiscent of recovered hardwoods.

Check out the Vintage Series datasheet in our MateriaLab.

5. Recycled woods with hyper-realistic cement effect

If there is one thing that trends of 2022 show us is that textures are dominating beauty shop designs.

Even smooth finishes are enhanced with subtle details that displace the concept of artificially “perfect” lacquered finishes, acquiring a personality more in line with ceramic, earthy and stone materials.

Bebiendo de unas influencias que mezclan artesanía e industrial a partes iguales, la serie de maderas recicladas Ostuni muestran texturas a medio camino entre el hormigón enlucido y el yeso alisado, dando a los espacios un estilo de taller artístico muy chic. Consulta la ficha de la Serie Ostuni en nuestro MateriaLab.

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Siguiente ¿Are there more trends? Naturally.

Materials are ultimately the basis on which the personality of a brand is built. But the concepts being developed in the sector not only reformulate the aspect of the brands, but also how consumers enjoy them.

That is why the new proposals observed in the sector go a step further and include:

1.- Plant elements as decoration to reinforce the message of sustainability. Something in which brands such as Rituals are already pioneers and whose acceptance is increasing.

2.- Aesthetic design, yes, but also experiential. . Aesthetic design, yes, but also experiential.

3.- Let there be light.. All redesign needs a new lighting study that properly highlights each element, texture, zone and product. Beauty is ultimately one of the sectors that best understands the importance and effect of light on consumers

4.- Technology will have a purpose or will not be.. No more screens installed at the last minute, finding them a place where they originally should not be. A phase resulting from digitalisation that was added as an extra layer over existing designs.

Health&Beauty shop designs in 2022 understand that digital elements are an additional aspect of the consumer in-store experience and anticipate integrating them before they become a patch.

5.- Spaces that communicate, but do not shout.One of the most interesting trends is the reduction in offer signage in favour of a more subtle and evocative style. Why not attract and guide consumers with posters and vinyl, lightboxes or digital signage? The right way to escape the price war and increase brand value.

One could think that all these trends are an exercise in creativity for the future, but nothing could be further from the truth. Most of our openings in recent months include one or more of them and the best example is the Comas flagship, in Figueras. This was the spectacular result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM9ICIiI8tA

Downloadable: COMAS

• New designs, more technology and a redoubled commitment to sustainability
• The pandemic, although not yet behind us, will not be a constraint

A new year has arrived and, as well as looking back to learn from the past, at HMY we are looking to the future trying to discern where the sales strategies of brands and retailers around the world will be heading in 2022.

The eCommerce boom, economic crises, a global pandemic… And yet, the result has not changed: Retail dominates sales. What has changed is Retail’s formula for remaining more relevant than ever.

Economic uncertainty and the pandemic have marked the beginning of the year in a society that has returned to the streets and shops with old and new habits, and the main Retail metrics point to sustained growth. According to the research portal, Statista, 6.6% growth is expected in the coming year, despite the renewed surge in eCommerce.

But how can physical points-of-sale emerge stronger in a post-pandemic society which has rapidly embraced online commerce? This is because Retail has adapted both out of necessity and opportunity.

What do consumers seek in 2022?

The eternal question and starting point for the Retail trends of each year. After analysing the projects we undertook in the second half of 2021, it is clear to our global experts.

Experiences

Retail’s great opportunity and value contribution to brands’ omnichannel strategy. The convenience of an online transaction is hard to beat, except in specific cases (such as convenience and transit), but consumer engagement can only be achieved with an experience that is enjoyed with more than two senses.

Visibility and proximity

The reach of online advertising is undeniable, but its saturation is reaching the same levels as traditional media.

This makes physical points-of-sale visually spectacular and strategically located ones have regained great value.

One of the most relevant metrics of the year is that influx to shopping centres has grown by 14%, as published by InfoRetail in November 2021.

Safety, but not uncomfortable

Something that consumers have internalised accordingly with the COVID situation and measures for each area and the individual habits. The role of Retailers has been relegated to providing the minimum requirements at all times in an elegant and non-intrusive way: keeping the point-of-sale unsaturated and without obstacles or major stoppers, making safety as automatic and clean as possible.

5 Retail trends for 2022 – The year of sustainability and technology

2021 was a key year in which two essential aspects that will mark the performance of brands and distributors in Retail began to take shape: sustainability and technology.

The main line of communication of most brands is the promotion of products manufactured from recycled materials and environmentally responsible initiatives.

Furthermore, the democratisation of the cost of technology for Retail is driving the number of points-of-sale that incorporate it. Brands are daring to create increasingly more impactful displays, especially in corners, activations and flagships, aware that this is the winning card for improving the consumer experience.

How are these inputs translating into trends for the year ahead?

1.Sustainable products in sustainable points-of-sale and recycling

Brands will apply the same strategy used with their products to their points-of-sale and activations. Sustainability initiatives in Retail will combine shops and marketing campaigns, conveying a message and creating spaces consistent with the communication.

2.Interactive shops

Having conquered the easiest part (digital signage), the level of technological spectacularity will increase at points-of-sale, where screens and one-way messages will no longer suffice and consumers will demand the ability to personalise their in-store experience through interaction.

3.Eye-catching and bold designs, together with premium formats

Points-of-sale as mere places of transaction no longer build customer loyalty. They have their space as points of convenience, but only those that offer something extra will succeed in building customer loyalty, i.e. those worth visiting… and posting on social media.

4.New materials and combinations

Light integrated into furniture has become indispensable for giving added value to traditional wood and metal, but retailers are already asking themselves: “Now what?”

In 2022 we will see a greater use of surprising materials, new textures, premium finishes… The use of ceramics, glass and vinyls will give commercial installations real personality.

5.Pure playersare redoubling their expansion strategies in Retail

The first brands born on the Internet are already in physical Retail and they have paved the way in recent years, demonstrating that it was not just a whim: online needs Retail and vice versa. Hawkers, Ecoalf, Oppo…

Their mixed selling strategies have led them to play with different shop formats to achieve their expansion strategies, but all surprising and brave. Who will follow them? Our “Keys to Expansion in Retail” guide will no doubt prove useful.

Consumers and technology have been changing the rules of the game for years, threatening the continuity of traditional Retail (mere product-currency transaction), but opening new windows and spaces that bring unique value to brands and customers.

It is in the combination of both aspects: digital (seamless and fluid) and physical (surprising, exciting and enveloping) where consumers truly connect to brands.

Each year, this panorama becomes increasingly defined in the form of emerging trends.