By Mr. Karan Gupta, QraaMen
There is no industry in existence that has not been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. As salons closed down and companies ceased operations during the lockdown to contain the spread of the disease, the evolution of men’s grooming industry started to take an unprecedented turn. Even after quite many businesses have been permitted to resume operations, some trends in men’s grooming that emerged during the lockdown did not go back to normal. Thus, there is no choice for companies who want to sustain in the market of men’s grooming but to accept it as the new normal. These changes that were noticed during the lockdown period carry the reflection of how men’s grooming will evolve post-COVID-19.
Reliance on Online Ordering
Around the time when the coronavirus lockdown was first imposed in India, there was an immediate loss of trust in the mind of customers for businesses, be it offline or online. As months went by, and people came to terms with the truth, many started to take calculated risks by ordering online. Soon they realised that if they sanitise the packages sufficiently, ordering online is much safer than visiting retail stores. It made people comfortable with ordering online.
The trend trickled to men’s grooming industry, where the target audience did not want to take the risk of visiting the salons. While retail marketing strategy was working well for many brands in the pre-corona period, the same has entirely failed in scope post-corona. Men have shifted their entire product selection lifecycle online. They get inspiration from social media platforms and sometimes purchase from there as well. Or, they head to the website linked with the social media account. Therefore, the upkeep of social media and e-commerce is essential for men’s grooming brand in the post-COVID-19 period.
Natural & Organic Products
This is another significant change that has intensified due to the onset of coronavirus. Natural and organic products have always been in demand, but people have never relied on it so dedicatedly as they have in the post-COVID-19 period. There is anyways a shortage of pure herbal products in men’s grooming industry. Qraamen is working actively to bring a range of specific skin, hair and body products made with pure herbal ingredients. They are devoid of any artificial substances or harsh chemicals such as sulphate or paraben. Moving forward, these are the kind of products that men will prefer.
Demand for at-home Grooming
In the pre-corona period, about 5-6 years back, many men were ignorant about their skin and hair type and did not bother much about personal care in general. At-home grooming was still in its infancy, with just a ‘mix and apply’ hair dye. While men’s grooming industry has changed significantly in the last few years, things have dramatically shifted post-COVID-19. Men have moved beyond monthly beard and hair trims. They are now more interested in at-home grooming products with a focus on personal care. Going ahead, companies in the men’s grooming sector can be seen coming out with easy to use at-home grooming kits for skin, hair, body and beard.
Changing Customer Preferences
Apart from the grooming needs and aspirations of the customer, coronavirus pandemic will also change the way customers pick a product. In the pre-corona time, the reviews, price and then ingredients were the factors responsible for a product choice. Although, now the ingredients list is the first thing a customer scans through. Men are becoming much more particular about the type of products that they are putting on their body. Due to the pandemic, they are looking for products that are effective for their skin, body or hair while being entirely harmless to the environment. Qraamen prides itself on the collection of natural products that do not contain any harmful ingredients. Only brands with the qualities of proximity, trust and transparency will be able to gain the confidence of the target audience as they begin to take the time to research extensively and make informed choices.
