- Untangled
- Posts
- 💎 The rise of luxury haircare—how to sell high-end experiences | Untangled Newsletter
💎 The rise of luxury haircare—how to sell high-end experiences | Untangled Newsletter
What Maison Sisley’s spa-inspired treatments teach us about premium positioning.
Zihan Lyu
March 05, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
Heads up! To ensure you continue receiving our newsletters, please add [email protected] to your contact list!
Welcome to Untangled, your essential newsletter for haircare eCommerce professionals.
Retail Rewired 🔥
The Fospha team had an amazing time at eTail West last week, connecting with eCommerce leaders and diving into the biggest challenges and opportunities shaping the industry. Here are the top trends we saw dominating the conversation.
📈 Brands Are Navigating Rising Ad Costs & Complexity
With CPCs on the rise, brands are doubling down on efficiency— looking for opportunities to optimize their marketing mix and making the most owned channels like email, SMS, and loyalty programs.
🤖 AI-Driven Personalization Is Scaling Up
AI is transforming customer interactions in real time. Hanky Panky shared how AI powers their acquisition, site experience, and retention efforts—including automating 50% of customer service interactions to free up human agents for high-value customers.
💡 The Halo Effect Is Real
At Fospha, we're always talking about the impact of TikTok, YouTube, and Meta ads on third-party sales channels like Amazon. At eTail West, Ross Wakeham from TikTok reinforced that this ‘spillover’ effect is a huge measurement opportunity for brands.
If you’re interested in learning more about the halo effect, you can lead our latest research here. 🔗
Attending SXSW?
Sector Spotlight 🎥
BEAUTY INNOVATION HUB
L'Oréal's North American R&I center, a $160 million initiative in New Jersey, sets a new benchmark for innovation, emphasizing sustainability and inclusivity. Through alliances with biotech and academia, it's crafting advanced beauty solutions customized for diverse markets, reinforcing brand presence while invigorating economic growth with pioneering research.
BEAUTY INNOVATION
Ouidad's new Curl Miracle Treatment transforms curly hair care with its anti-frizz Nano Technology and Glass Curl Complex, promising frizz-free, glossy curls for up to three washes. Tailored for strategic market expansion, the product is silicone, paraben, and sulfate-free, retailing at Ouidad and Ulta.
LUXURY HAIRCARE TRENDS
Maison Sisley in Mayfair offers a luxurious 90-minute hair treatment promising to rejuvenate hair health through advanced techniques inspired by Japanese spas. Reflecting trends like "skinification," consumers increasingly embrace high-priced haircare as the market grows by 7% annually, highlighting a shift towards luxury beauty investments.
STRATEGIC BEAUTY ALLIANCE
Fable & Mane's move enlists Bollywood legend Kareena Kapoor Khan as Global Brand Ambassador, reinforcing the brand's Ayurvedic heritage. This partnership highlights Kapoor's cultural resonance, aiming to elevate Ayurvedic rituals in beauty. An innovative approach, it enhances global brand presence, merging heritage with a modern, impactful marketing narrative for digital engagement.
BEAUTY MARKET TRENDS
In a blend of innovation and community focus, UNice Hair celebrates its 9th anniversary with strategic initiatives that disrupt traditional beauty paradigms. The Pink Love Campaign amplifies consumer engagement through EBeauty Community partnerships, while innovative offerings like the AI Wig Try-On and Pull & Go Glueless Wig redefine personalization and tech-driven marketing strategies for sustained growth.
Optimization Hub ⚙️
FASHION-FORWARD INNOVATION
Generative AI unease, eCommerce tactics, and AI-driven job insecurity shape consumer views, with most wary of AI's expanding influence. These realities offer an opportunity to innovate. Despite concerns, the thriving $38.07bn digital advertising sphere presents untapped paths for market expansion and strategic integration.
ECOMMERCE VISIONARIES
In 2025, digital marketing will pivot toward AI advancements, first-party data utilization, and niche specialization. Embracing AI enhances customer personalization, while prioritizing data privacy ensures compliance. These strategies, alongside leveraging emerging fields like Web3, offer competitive edge and measurable ROI.
AI IN MARKETING
Personalization at scale used to be a pipe dream—now, it’s a competitive necessity. AI is making hyper-targeted content, promotions, and customer interactions effortless, but the real challenge is earning trust and staying relevant without crossing the line.
Brands like leading retailers are ditching blanket discounts for AI-driven precision offers. But as personalization gets smarter, consumers are setting the terms—they’ll trade data for relevance, but only if brands play fair.
How do you personalize without alienating? How do you scale without losing authenticity? The brands that master this balance will dominate.
Social Media Marketing | 📍 Seattle, Washington, USA |
Your Say 📣
How well did this week’s edition style up? |
ClickZ is a Contentive publication in the DTC Ecommerce division