A case study of how it grows to a billion-dollar beauty brand

By Natasha Monica Putri

_Let’s Start
_What is Glossier?
Founded in 2014, Glossier is a pioneer in
beauty that started off digitally and has built
a cult base among millennials with 2.8
million followers on Instagram.

True to its’ tagline, “Skincare First, Makeup

Second, Smile Always”, Glossier now has
approximately 40 SKUs that primarily
focused on skincare. On March 2020,
Glossier has valued at $1.2b billion by Wall
Street Journal Reports.

Glossier has been named as a top beauty

brand by Allure, Teen Vogue, Glamour,
Nylon, and Cosmopolitan, as well as various
beauty and digital innovation awards.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

 Key Points to Talk About

1. 2.
Start from Community Build and Live Your Brand DNA

3. 4.
Full Control on Customer Don’t Sell Your Product
Experience

5. 6.
Customer is the New Product Be Personal, Be Human
Development

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

1. Start from
Community

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

There was a latent market waiting to be acknowledged_

Brands & Media Consumers

At that time, big, dominating corporations
were exploiting the lack of self-confidence in
some women in order to sell expensive
beauty products. While medias also tried to
‘dictate’ the best product for their audience.
Beauty consumers were becoming increasingly
interested in the idea of personalization. They no
longer wanted to be told by a brand or expert
how to pull off a full look because consumers
began looking to their peers for inspiration.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Give them a place to
voice their opinion_
Emily Weiss (Glossier’s Founder) started from a
beauty blog, Into The Gloss, where she wanted
women to tell their own stories, rather than
having their stories dictated to them by fashion
and beauty brands.

She set out to build a community around trust

and authenticity by presenting a compelling
and personal content of real, inspiring women
and their beauty routines. It gave people the
opportunity to discuss beauty products in a
genuine, low-cost way.

Beauty insecurities are also discussed in the

forum and It gives the assurance that everyone
has struggled with acne, hair loss, and a myriad
of other issues.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

2. Build and Live Your
Brand DNA

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

 Democratize Beauty
“It’s going to be about women and putting them and their narrative and their story at the forefront
and giving them a voice and a platform and just really encouraging them.”

- Emily Weiss (CEO of Glossier)

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

 Democratize Beauty
#1 Female Empowerment:
Freedom and Inclusivity
Glossier use “skin first, makeup second”
approach that tapped into an emerging
wave of popular online feminism focused on
specific female empowerment issue, that
saw people move away from the idea of
using makeup to cover up perceived
imperfections and towards a fresher,
cleaner finish.
“Never cover you up, turn you into
someone else, or overcomplicate
your routine”
#2 Customer First and Be
Personal
Direct and intimate customer relationships
are in their brand DNA which translated to
their communication and products. It makes
Glossier a customer-centric brand where
its’ consumers can feel that Glossier support
their own personal style rather than
product- or launch-driven perspective.
“The main thing Glossier stands for
is the power of the individual to
choose their own style, to make
connections with other people, to
ask questions, to understand better
the things that they may want.”
#3 Be Simple, Don’t
Overcomplicate through
Innovation
Glossier aims to produce “hero” or “best in
kind” products that are easy to use and
become timeless essentials. While another
makeup counter may offer dozens of
mascaras that all claim different benefits,
Glossier just makes one: Lash Slick,
available only in black.
“We're creating the new beauty
essentials: easy-to-use skincare and
makeup that form the backbone to
your routine”
Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri
“Beauty Products
inspired by Real Life”
Glossier celebrates its customers’ natural beauty, not the
artificial, painted-on kind. Its tagline is, “Beauty products
inspired by real life”

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Glossier let their customers be a part
of their story all along the way

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

3. Full Control on
Customer Experience

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Full control from upstream to downstream_

Market Research:
From Into The Gloss, Glossier has gained vast amount of research data that the company use to develop
new products and improve existing ones

Product Development:
Product development team take notes on how the perfect beauty product will be according to their
consumers from the data they gathered. They also joined with gTEAM (Customer Experience team of
Glossier) in predicting consumers’ preference and concerns towards a product.

Direct-to-Consumer:
Glossier neither rely on conventional advertising nor retailers like other big beauty brands. This meant
Glossier could continue to sell high-quality products directly to its vast community of fans at lower prices.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

The key success of Glossier lies in its’
Direct-to-Consumer Strategy
Glossier take full control of their marketing and sales channel, which are the
opposite of what big beauty brands did back then. They doesn’t rely on
retailers and even rejected deals from Sephora and Ulta Beauty. It markets its’
products directly to their 2.8 million Instagram followers on its perfectly-curated
Instagram page and their beauty blog, Into The Gloss. While selling it solely on
their website, until they open up their own brick-and-mortar stores.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Why choose direct-to-consumer?
Create full controlled customer experience
With the emerging era of social media, people had the power
to choose who they listen to. Consistent with their brand
DNA, they wanted to inspire and tell stories of the women
who use their products. Glossier felt like beauty advisor in
department stores could not give that experience, due to
their tendency to dictate and make women feel inferior.
Access to first-party customer data
Direct-to-consumer model also gives companies the
advantage of access to first-party customer data, which they
can use in marketing and advertising campaigns but also to
keep tabs on emerging trends. In other words, Glossier will
have an upper hand because they have access to accurate
data of real time customers behavior and preference.
“We're in an era where people want to choose who
they listen to, right? We're in an era where people are
predominantly looking to peer-to-peer connection and
community to make beauty purchasing decisions.”
Lower acquisition cost
Glossier wanted to be in control of their product prices.
Without relying on retailers, they don’t need to set up margin
for them. Glossier also decided to put aside conventional
advertising channels used by big beauty brands to maintain a
tight marketing budget and focused on building relationships
to increase Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri
Offline presence as a community base_
Glossier flagship space quickly became far more than a space to
showcase and sell Glossier’s growing range of products. As Glossier
principally sells online, its offline presence is concerned more with
creating a memorable experience for their community (Generation G) “We are always
to drive conversation online than pushing sales. Rather than a purely
transactional space, Glossier intentionally created the company’s focused on how
flagship store as a welcoming space where women could hang out we can use our
and learn more about beauty in a general way
customers to
bring their other
“We would rather people come and actually stay than
communities
people come buy something and leave. We had girls who
were masking on a roof deck for 45 minutes just hanging into our
out with their friends while their phones charged at a communities.”
station inside. And for us, that’s success. That’s really fun.
Someone’s coming to hang out with friends or get to know
other people or give us some feedback about the products
she already owns.”

– Emily Weiss
Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri
Community Spinoffs!
Glossier Boyfriends Dogs of Glossier
Showcasing Glossier die-hard fans’ significant Showcasing Glossier die-hard fans’ dogs whether
others experience in-store they are using Glossier products or in-store

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

4. Don’t Sell Your
Product

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Experience First,
Business Results Second
Glossier business model relies on selling products, but revenue growth and
acquiring new customers are secondary to their mission of giving voice to
beauty. It aims to cultivate an active community of conversation and connection.
They have been able to prove out downstream business success in terms of
product purchases if Glossier content and products are engaging for their
consumers. Thus, proving how social engagement correlates with the lifetime
value of the customer.

_How do you know?

Glossier monitors where sales originate — social, stores or organic — and try
to understand why. It turns out that 70% of sales come from word-of-mouth
organic connections and 72% of millennials take product recommendations
through content on Instagram.

Therefore, Glossier measures how many conversations gTEAM editors and

showroom editors engage in. If those metrics are strong, then business results
will follow

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Use social media as what it’s supposed
to be - a two-way communication tool

Until now, many beauty brands treat social media the same way as
they used TV. Rather than engaging prospective fans and
customers in conversation, these brands saw it only as platforms
through which they could broadcast their content.

True to its blog and social-media roots, Glossier makes the most of
its two-way communication with its readers and followers. Glossier
relies on social media listening tools to glean data and insights
from customer feedback. What people say to Glossier or about
Glossier to others is more important than what Glossier says to
them. It’s through those customer conversations often stimulated by
its originating content that enables co-creating new products.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Sell your customers’ stories, not your products_
Initially, Into The Gloss focus of its content was the women featured and their stories.
The products were always secondary. As their sister brand, Glossier contents use the
same technique which ample user-generated-content that authenticates the
company’s products and posts. This content then generates conversations.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Turn their stories to campaign_
A Case Study
#GlossierSkin
The go-to Glossier aesthetic is one
of effortless natural beauty,
“no-makeup makeup” look. In
beauty circles today, “Glossier
skin” has become a phrase to
describe a healthy, radiant look,
whether achieved using Glossier
products or not.
The adjective to aim for is “dewy”
– an effect that Glossier tried
literally to bottle in its Futuredew
product released in 2019, an “oil
serum hybrid” designed to give
skin that elusive glowy-but-not-
greasy sheen.
A Case Study
Solution
Glossier’s Solution exfoliator,
launched in 2018, came out of a
less overt collaboration: the
Glossier team had noticed that
chemical exfoliators – a more niche
product category than a face wash
– were popular among its fans,
and considered how to make one
that was easy to understand and
use.
They involved customers in the
launch by giving 60 people the
product in advance and using
their stories and feedback in the
marketing campaign.
Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri
Treat everyone like an influencer_
Glossier team always treat their customers like how they treat
influencers, which is incentivize them to spread the words of how good
the product is and how it changes their life. Even if they aren’t officially
ambassadors, many Glossier customers play a role in selling the brand.
Glossier often reposts customer photos on its Instagram account, which
has more than 2.8 million followers, which consumers can gain
exposure from it. As for the brand, which relies on shoppers for much
of its content. This content, it should be noted, is also free.

_How to do it?

Leverage social currency, give people a way to make

1. them look cool while they are using your products, and
they will share it to others

“Our customers are our number-one mouthpieces

2. Point out all of the “cool girls” who uses your products
through User-Generated Content
and evangelists. They’re doing exactly what we
hoped they would. They are interpreting Glossier.”

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

“First, I’m a Glossier rep and it’s not my full-time job
(neither is my blog) and if you’re a casual reader you
might already know that. Being a Glossier rep is like the
equivalent of being a part an affiliate commission
company (think rewardStyle or ShopStyle). Just like
any other affiliate program, I make a small commission
off orders purchased through my rep link. I’m not sure
if I’m allowed to disclose how much but to put it in
perspective, if I’m having a “good” month, then I guess
I treat myself to lunch a couple times.
The reality is, I didn’t sign up to be a rep for the
money—because as you can tell, it’s not much (at least
for me, anyway). But being a Glossier rep does have its
perks. I get to learn about new products prior to
launching, which is fun. I also receive a monthly $30
credit which I can apply toward my purchase. I usually
find myself restocking on holy grail products or
splurging on new launches.”
Brand Evangelist as Glossier Rep
Glossier has its own representative program, their best form of
marketing yet. They spread the word about the brand and its products
and have interpreted Glossier to be what they want and need it to
be.who promote the products on their Instagrams for a cash
commission, discounts, some free products, and early access to new
launches. However, note that they are brand evangelist, people who
are die-hard fans of the product. They are not in for the money, but for
the love of the brand itself.
“We are making our customers into
stakeholders. If we make them stakeholders
they help us create better products, but they
also become our sales channel”
Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri
5. Customer is the New
Product Development

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Co-creation along consumer journey_

Unlike traditional beauty brands where products are developed first, after
which the brands must figure out how to sell them, Glossier puts the
specific consumer product need out front. Glossier’s marketing became
customer-centric rather than product-centric. Thus, it simplifies the sales
and marketing process. In this way, Glossier co-creates its product offerings.

“If we can engage customers further up the

[sales] funnel and earlier in product
development and brand strategy, we will be in a
position to create what people actually want”

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

A Case Study
Glossier Milky Cleanser
“We make it because we learned from our customers
what they are missing, both from a brand and a product
perspective, that will make their lives better”
When the company began to develop its Milky Jelly Cleanser in
2015, Glossier invited its audience to tell the company what
they wanted in a cleanser. The community responded to the
post with hundreds of comments on its blog. Its customers
shared how washing their face involved two-steps and two
different products, makeup remover then face wash. Glossier
simplified the process and put both functions into one product,
something that a traditional beauty brand would be loath to
do, as it would take potential sales of two products away.
After updating the community in a follow-up post nine months
later, some readers asked why Glossier had chosen to package
its new cleanser in a jar rather than a pump-bottle. Glossier
used this opportunity to tell readers more about the product
development process, and explained that the resulting cleanser
was too viscous for a pump.
This explained the rationale behind a key product decision, let
community members know that their feedback had been
taken into genuine consideration, and maintained the
transparency and inclusion that Glossier’s loyal fans had come
to expect from the brand.
Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri
Your customer service is the
extension of your customer_
At Glossier, the gTEAM (Customer experience) is constantly reading
customer feedback from social media, emails, comment on blogs,
and posts on the independent Glossier subreddit. The gTEAM helps
with product development decisions from customer feedback,
questions, and complaints and uses them to help create new
products that will be fan favorites.

Operating, in a sense, as the voice of the Glossier consumer, the

gTeam is also one of the first groups to test out new products that
are in development, often years prior to launch. They help to figure
out and predict all of the questions or concerns that the customers
might have about the product.

These contributions the gTEAM makes to product development

brings in actual retention and conversions. Basically, without the
input of their customer experience team, Glossier wouldn't know
what customers really need.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Call Customer Service it as what you want it to be

Customer Experience
At Glossier, the name is "customer experience", not customer service. The gTEAM prefers this
name because so much of what they do is about creating a better customer experience. Rather
than speaking from a script and rapidly sending emails, the gTEAM has real conversations with
customers comparing products and talking about how they use each product. They are experts
on the brand and provide personal opinions and insights to their customers.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

A Case Study

Be an Editor for a Day

Glossier makes sure that all of their employees exercise the brand motto of “devoted to the
customer” by having them work a shift on the floor of one of its retail stores and get up close
and personal with customers. It is a part of the Glossier’s on-boarding process for new hires.

Glossier’s full-time employees can now sign up to get matched with an offline editors or
in-store employee to work a two-hour shift in one of the brand’s physical retail stores. During
that time, the employee is able to interact with customers while shadowing an editor’s job,
both on the back-of-store order fulfillment side and on the customer-facing front-of-store side.

_What are the goals?

1. To give employees the chance to connect with Glossier customers in person

2. To offer logistical insights around their high-traffic retail stores

To help team members build functional empathy for their fellow teammates and the
3. brand’s customers.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

6. Be Personal,
Be Human

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Be the kind of person your
consumer wants to hang out with_

In any customer service interaction, the last thing a

customer wants is to be speaking to a generic bot. Going
off-script and being genuine with customers can takes
time, but it provides them support they will remember.

Glossier developed their brand personality according to

the way they want to be perceive by millennials, as the
effortless “cool girl” that people want to hang out with,
upbeat, positive, humorous, yet thoughtful. It translates
to all their touch point, especially their brand people
(gTEAM and offline editors).

“It’s more about the beauty of

coming in here and having it sound
a certain way, smell a certain way,
having an interaction with an editor
who’s fun or engaging”

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Be honest and transparent_
Glossier take its customers on the journey in creating
1. their dream products based on their feedbacks 2. Always acknowledge your mistakes and weaknesses to
your customer.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

A Case Study

Last Minute Wedding Errands

There is an amazing story of Glossier going above and beyond for a single
customer. A bride-to-be was panicked because Glossier was sold out of the
Haloscope highlighter, which she wanted to use on her wedding day. After
writing to the gTEAM, an editor messaged the entire office, hoping an
employee might have an unopened Haloscope to spare. They finally tracked
one down and mailed it to the bride-to-be.

“Glossier treats its customers as it would

any friend, family member, or coworker.”

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Hire people who love your brand Glossier employees are typically people who started
out as customers. That’s why they understand their
as much as your customer do customers, and thus, are empathetic towards them.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Key Learning Points

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

Key Learning Points
1. Always start with and focus on customers
Be customer-centric marketing not product/company-centric.
Build your brand value according to their needs and desire,
communicate it, and act accordingly.
2. Find your latent market and own it
Compete in an untapped market by thinking about how the
competitors actually sell their product. Be different from them.
5. Humanize your brand
Bring your unique personality to your role. Share them your own
experiences with those products and services and give real
recommendations. Be honest about mistakes you make and
questions to which you don't have answers, but also apologize
for that. Use emojis (when appropriate), humor, and sincerity.
Treat your customer service as the extension of your customer
6. Let your customer service have a say in marketing decisions. Use
the customer feedback gained through them to continuously
improve.

3. Take control on your customer journey

Monitor where sales originate and why it happened there. If you
7.
have various channels or even use 3rd parties, design each
journey with your brand personal touch.
Name your customer service according to their role
Changing the name of the team and titles of each position may
seem menial, but it can make your customer service feel
appreciated and have a huge impact on their mentality.

Your best customers is your best sales channel

4. Listen and tell your customers’ story, not yours
Make sure you listen well rather than create noise for your
8.
customer. After you understand their story, create a sincere
dialogue to show them why they should trust you, not only a run
for their money. Invest in social media listening tools to find
conversation online.
Potential leads are way more likely to trust a customer review or
fellow friend's suggestion over a paid marketing advertisement
from the company itself. If you have customers who are loyal to
your brand, give them the chance to represent it, and they'll be
sure to build your customer base.

Glossier Case Study - Natasha Monica Putri

thank you_