Most of respondents have indicated that the people around them (friends and families) have introduced them to SK-II products and encouraged them to try out. 7 out of 8 of our respondents said that they started using SK-II because someone close to them has introduced it to them and they decided to try. They trust their closed ones and believe that since the products have been tested by them, they genuinely wanted to share a effective product with them.
WHO AM I
We have chosen range of ages for our respondents, from 20s to 50s. We have respondents as young as 21, as well as the more mature respondents at the age of 53. The rationale behind choosing respondents of different ages is to explore the various relationships consumers of different ages they have with SK-II and examine their motivations for using SK-II at different stages of their lives. We also consulted 6 female respondents and 2 male respondents in order to understand any differences between genders.
All of the respondents are enthusiastic when talking about the skincare and beauty brands that they use. They are relatively beauty-conscious, even the male respondents, because they have a standard beauty regime and follow them rigorously every day to ensure their skin is cleansed and protected.
BRAND RELATIONSHIP
Out of all the respondents, one of them has a Committed Partnership with SK-II. She has used SK-II products over 2 years and is reluctant to change. Three respondents have a Best Friend relationship with SK-II which they are highly satisfied with the performance and effectiveness of its products over a period of time. Another three have a Courtship relationship with SK-II which they are still experimenting with SK-II products and they are currently impressed with its benefits and properties. Lastly, only one 1 has a Fling with SK-II due to the high performance reciprocity in a short period of time of less than 6 months while still switching and experimenting other brands.
INFLUENCES
Most of our respondents including males, do value product performance, effectiveness and suitability. They are willing to use products that perform effectively and yet are still suitable to their skin – will not cause them breakouts. Even though SK-II commands a high premium over some of the drug-store skin care products that respondents are using, they are still willing to pay that premium because of the perceived performance, effectiveness and suitability of the products. They are able to justify the price they are paying with the value of products that they are enjoying.
ANALYSIS:
Despite the high performance and effectiveness of SK-II products, respondents still perceived that products from different brands could offer them different functional benefits. Hence they are willing to use various products so as to maximize the benefits they can get on their skin since they do not believe a single product can provide all benefits. Also, the skincare market is very saturated with increasing new brands from Korea and Japan. The new brands are endorsed by the latest celebrities and many consumers are more influenced by the Korean and Japanese cultures. So, they are highly willing to try out those brands too.
IMPLICATION:
SK-II can work on their product offerings and try to cater to more needs of the consumers. They can also explore using a combination of functional benefits and emotional aspects to reach out to their consumers to increase differentiation since most beauty brands emphasize only on functional benefits to attract consumers.
ANALYSIS:
SK-II’s premium image is reflected and perceived by their consumers. This shows that their brand image is successfully seen and perceived by their consumers. Because of their consistent brand strategy to maintain a sophisticated and prestigious image, they have achieved success in matching perceptions of consumers to their intended brand image.
IMPLICATION:
Due to the success of matching consumers’ perceptions to their intended brand image, SK-II is able to command a premium price for their products.
All respondents mention that they are delighted with the high performance and effectiveness on their skin from using SK-II products. They find it highly effective in solving their skincare problems and help them to maintain beautiful skin.
ANALYSIS:
These functional benefits are the main reasons most respondents are willing to continue to buy and use SK-II products despite the prices. Their high performance and effectiveness can help build brand loyalty for SK-II. They are also the reason for positive reviews and word-of-mouth among their consumers which can help to promote SK-II to new, yet skeptical users.
IMPLICATION:
SK-II can continue to emphasize on their functional benefits to attract more users to convert to SK-II products.
KEY FINDINGS
Some similarities are found among the diary entries of our respondents and we have highlighted some common themes that will outline certain implications for SK-II which they can either leverage on or improve on.
Besides word-of-mouth, 5 respondents indicated that they retrieve information on beauty products from advertisements (both on TV and in magazines), beauty programs and even online forums. 6 out of 8 respondents mention that they know SK-II through these various marketing cues too.
ANALYSIS:
As said earlier, SK-II products are of high perceived risks and consumers will retrieve information before purchase. Marketing cues like advertisements and beauty programs are a good way to raise awareness for SK-II and perk curiosity within consumers and influence them to look for more information. With technology, consumers can now head to online forums to look for information through reviews of products besides asking their friends or families for recommendations.
IMPLICATION:
SK-II can continue to leverage on their strong marketing efforts to drive brand awareness. They can explore digital marketing strategies like using social media and influencers to increase their products ratings online. So when consumers start searching for information online, they are able to retrieve positive reviews and ratings which contribute to higher willingness to try SK-II products.
"WORD-OF-MOUTH"
ANALYSIS:
Due to the high premium price of SK-II, new consumers have high inertia to try it due to the high perceived risks. The perceived risks include financial risks and functional risks. Consumers worry that SK-II products may not be worth the premium amount that they paid it for. They also worry that the products do not perform up to expectations or may even cause skin problems, such as break outs for their skin. The greater the perceived risk, the more likely the consumers will seek more information about the product and the recommendations and experiences of close ones before buying.
IMPLICATION:
SK-II should think of new ways to engage their current consumers so as to increase word-of-mouth and influence more people to try their products.
"MARKETING CUES"
"HIGH PERFORMANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS"
"QUALITY AND CLASS"
Many respondents reflected that they feel that SK-II exude quality and class from their packaging. Their frosted glass bottles are different from the other brands that the respondents are using. They also mention that the premium price they pay can be justified through using such high quality and classy products.
"BRAND SWITCHING WITHIN
AND OUTSIDE OF BRAND PORTFOLIOS"
As mentioned above, one respondent, Siew Kuen has only SK-II in her brand portfolio for skincare. The rest of the respondents have different brands in their skincare brand portfolios. Despite raving about the functional benefits and effectiveness of SK-II, the respondents are still using a variety of brands instead of using just SK-II for their skincare. The respondents are also willing to experiment on new brands outside their brand portfolios.
