Abstract
The Face Shop is a cosmetics brand that started in Korea, featuring a wide range of all-natural products at affordable prices. The Face Shop has been expanding globally, with franchises in places like Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. This expansion has now hit British Columbia, as The Face Shop currently has four stores in the Lower Mainland. Our overall goal in this marketing plan is to help The Face Shop succeed in Vancouver by adapting its Korean-dominated marketing strategies and tactics to better suit the Canadian market.
We have proposed a set of strategies and tactics that are very different from what The Face Shop has done in the past. It is imperative that The Face Shop drastically change from the status quo, as the current marketing strategies are greatly restricting the growth of the company to new segments in Vancouver.
Currently, The Face Shop customers are predominantly of Asian descent. This is because people who shop at The Face Shop are those who know of the brand from places like Korea or Hong Kong, where The Face Shop has a much larger market presence than in Vancouver. For these customers, the current marketing tactics may work well. However, in order to develop the company, The Face Shop needs to increase its target market to include a wider range of customers. The Face Shop must expand its target market to include people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, and should better target the male segment of the population.
In order to do this, we have proposed a set of five strategies with a variety of tactics to make these strategies successful. The first strategy is to practice Total Customer Care. Employees should be aware of The Face Shop products in more detail, to the point where they would be able to provide accurate consultations to anyone who walks in the stores. The second strategy is to add a comprehensive online catalogue to the Canadian website, along with the ability to shop online. We want The Face Shop's products to be as accessible as possible, and by increasing the distribution channels, we hope to achieve this goal.
Increasing brand recognition is vital for The Face Shop's success in Vancouver, which leads to our third strategy. The tactics for this strategy include using personal marketing, strategic placement of The Face Shop products, and sponsoring events that associate well with The Face Shop image. As the product is visible in the market, people will start to know about The Face Shop and will have more experience with the cosmetics brand. Another strategy for The Face Shop would be to target the male segment of the population. This can be done by co-packaging female products with male trial-size versions. The final strategy is to better promote the "Natural Story" image that The Face Shop tries to convey. The all-natural aspect of The Face Shop brand should be a major selling feature, as it provides customers with a benefit that most other cosmetics do not have. This will help distinguish our product in the marketplace and promote the worldwide company vision.
