Young women, aged 16-20, are redefining the beauty market with more money, and more wants and needs, than any ‘teenagers’ before them.
In recognition of this powerful new generation of beauty consumers, global market intelligence agency Mintel has created a new acronym to identify them – AVIDs.
According to the agency, AVIDs are:
- Approaching adulthood: This group is gaining independence, whether by entering the workforce or choosing higher education. They now have money and responsibility to make their own decisions.
- Video driven: Their beauty education is ongoing and never ending. They grew up with video tutorials on every kind of beauty look, which has encouraged them to be more creative and experimental.
- Influencer aware: While previous generations grew up with magazines and celebrities for beauty inspiration, along with social media, these pop culture elements are now combined with influencers (aspirational but accessible figures that connect with them on a variety of platforms).
- Digital natives: They are naturally ‘internet smart’ – cautious over data sharing, aware of hacks and concerned about how brands are tracking them. This affects what they share online: mistakenly associated with the ‘selfie generation’, they are actually less likely than their millennial counterparts to post pictures online.
Mintel global beauty analyst Charlotte Libby stresses that despite their youth AVIDs are already very engaged with the beauty market – and although most don’t yet know what they like or want, they are eager to learn and want to have fun doing so.
Indeed, the agency’s latest research on AVID consumers in the UK found that 80 percent bought beauty products in the last year:
In addition, the research found:
- 61 percent are interested in having their skin/hair analysed while 60 percent are interested in taking a personality quiz to identify their beauty needs
- 58 percent like to watch videos of other people using the beauty/grooming products they own.
- 53 percent show an interest in attending a special event at a beauty retailer, such as an exercise class or an expert talk.
- 37 percent are interested in using vending machines to buy beauty products
- 64 percent are excited by beauty products that are ‘fun to use’
- 38 percent are interested in colour-changing or texture-changing products while 28 percent are intrigued by heat-activated products.
- 24 percent are interested in products that include music playlists to accompany usage.
Libby says that as AVIDs’ beauty knowledge is still growing and their tastes are constantly changing, they need guidance and expertise to help them navigate the beauty market.
“Brands that are able to take teenagers by the hand and help them in their journey of self-discovery can win these young consumers’ trust and earn their loyalty in the long run,” she says.
“However, learning has to be a fun and pleasurable experience.
“We’re therefore increasingly seeing retailers turn stores into beauty playgrounds where consumers can experiment with products and new technologies.
“For example, to celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year, Sephora will host ‘Sephoria: House of Beauty’ in the US. The two-day beauty convention will bring together brands, consumers and influencers and offer a range of social media-friendly experiences in interactive rooms.”
Andrew McDougall, Global Beauty Analyst at Mintel, concludes that “capturing the attention of AVID consumers is no easy task.
“They are hard to impress, they have a short attention span and they have seen it all before!
“They demand a product that works, but also one that is stimulating. For example, we’ve seen companies bring new music elements to engage with teenagers. This includes music streaming services partnering with beauty brands and recommending products based on consumers’ musical tastes, or playlists of just the right length for consumers to listen to while applying skincare.”