Beware of the Tween Rising
No sooner did Malia and Sasha move into the White House than marketers once again set their sights on the potential of the tween market. But before beauty manufacturers and retailers take that leap, it is best to revisit history.
The tween beauty market emerged in the Nineties, bringing with it new brands such as Caboodles, Fun and even a specialty retailer called Libby Lu. Caboodles still exists, but those other names have vanished, along with the massive tween departments retailers erected in the late Nineties. In its heyday, Libby Lu was the Build-A-Bear of the beauty business, but only recently succumbed to faltering visits.
Many mass market chains went so far as to have three or four brands aimed at tweens and teens and some even had signage signifying the area. There wasn’t a trade show that didn’t have numerous products for the younger set.
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Although some buyers were always dubious of the need, most at least tried tween planograms.
Then the market dried up. Retailers found out something interesting — tweens didn’t want to be singled out. They didn’t want anyone to know they weren’t teens yet. They bypassed the brands made for them.
This is all being said to avoid that trap again, especially since this age group is being touted as the hot new prospect. The between-kid-and-teenage group, generally thought of as those eight to 12, represent about 20 million kids. That number, according to the U.S. Census, should hit 23 million by 2020.
It isn’t to say these kids won’t be influenced by pop stars or want to buy a Miley Cyrus-backed item. In fact, data from USA Today found that of a survey of 500 tweens, 82 percent had watched Nickelodeon and 69 percent Disney within the past week. However, retailers and manufacturers used tweens to try to ride out the last recession and it didn’t work then and probably won’t again. Tweens are young for too short of a period and very fickle for that brief moment. They can’t be cultivated as consumers.
Of course, we will still keep our eyes on Malia and Sasha — those darn J. Crew coats were adorable!
People, Place and Things
A few words with Chris McClain, president of Advanced Beauty Systems. A former Wal-Mart buyer, McClain seems to have a knack for knowing what works best in mass market bath and body.
WWDBeautyNews: What did you show at ECRM?
McClain: We had new fragrances for Bodycology. With limited disposable income, people want to stretch their dollars further. Bodycology delivers the value they are seeking with quality products offered below $5. The formulas contain neither mineral oil nor parabens and more moisturizers have been added. The new fragrances include Midnight Garden, Cherry Blossom, Raspberries and Cream and Vanilla Romance. Retailers seem interested in the category again.
WWDBeautyNews: Are you advertising?
McClain: We are doing unique things to connect with consumers such as through MySpace and Facebook with our What’s Your Bodycology campaign. We are also doing sampling on our Web site because if people try the products, they like and buy them.
What’s in Store
Wasson to Speak at PCPC: In his talk at the Personal Care Products Council annual meeting in Boca Raton, Fla., Gregory D. Wasson, president and chief operating officer of Walgreen Co., will focus on the initiatives the retailer is pursuing in the cosmetics and personal care sector this year and discuss trends in the category.
Green Wave: A new study from Kline & Co. reported consumer desire for safer products and those good for the environment is growing and that the availability of more mass products has made natural products more accessible to the average consumer.