We are going through difficult times right now. An event deemed highly unlikely by past researchers is happening to mankind at this very moment. Ever since the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has gone on to spread throughout the globe in almost every state, country and continent (even cold, icy Antarctica!), and in order to avoid contracting the disease, we have resorted to isolating ourselves at home, stepping out only to conduct essential activities.
Sadly for us, pampering our bodies and making sure we look fabulous is not exactly considered “essential” by the WHO. As we’re required to lock ourselves inside, we have not been able to get our occasional haircuts at the salon or the mani-pedi’s during the weekends. As a result, when we look in the mirror or sit for the next online meeting, we see a rather shabby version of ourselves. Certainly, we’ve looked much better in earlier times! Hence, in order to solve such worries of all our women, the business idea being presented is that of developing a mobile application named ‘MissYuA ’, where women have the option of booking stylists for home salon and spa services, shopping for cosmetics and beauty kits, and many more.
As aforementioned, the plan is to develop a mobile application (which can run on both Android and iOS platforms) through which customers can avail home salon and spa services with their preferred hairdresser or beautician or esthetician and do online shopping for organic handmade cosmetics and beauty kits. The mobile app will be called “MissYuA”, with the app icon sporting an animated diamond with grey and pink facets, with small gold streaks running through it. The app’s design theme will follow the softcore aesthetic throughout, using a color palette of various pastel hues of pinks, greys and golds. As for the technical side of the app, prominence will be given to building a high-quality user interface (UI) so that the app becomes easy to use and runs smoothly for the customers. There will also be provisions for users to directly contact the company’s help desk in case of reporting bugs or purchase/product queries. In this way, the company can be quickly notified of any issues and better improve the efficiency of operations, and avoid customer dissatisfaction.
Now looking at the app’s branding, the name/logo “MissYuA” has Japanese origins with the girl name “Yua” meaning “binding love and affection”. The inspiration behind the name was that, by seeking out our app, customers will be able to show well-deserved love for their own bodies and appearance by indulging in our quality services, as at the end of the day, we have only one body to live in and use for the entire course of our lives, so it is our sole responsibility to properly look after it. In that way, every user of our app will become a “Miss Yua” by showing that love to their bodies (appearance). Additionally, the brand’s slogan would be “Look good. Feel good.”, an uncomplicated yet effectual phrase which is no sweat to recall and also something any woman (or human) can undoubtedly grasp and resonate with.
Now, let us examine the actual services (or purpose) of the app. The primary money-making service would be the home salon and spa facilities. Inside the app, customers would be shown an array of 15-25 stylists (all being qualified professionals privately hired by the company), specializing in various services and treatments ranging from hairdressing, skincare, makeup, massaging, waxing etc. The customers can view the profiles of each stylist and book one for home service for a specific day and specific time slot according to their comfort and convenience. Due importance would be given to ensure that all stylists dispatched to customer homes would conduct the treatments while strictly following COVID-19 guidelines. After availing the service, customers can then drop reviews under their chosen stylist’s profile and give ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. These reviews and ratings would be visible to other customers too. In this way, you are giving a voice to the customers and this builds brand loyalty. In addition to that, the company can use this valuable feedback to better assess their performance and improve in areas of weakness. This also boosts the credibility of the business in the market, and serves as an effective marketing tool to attract more new customers.
The app will also feature online shopping options from which customers can order and purchase cosmetics from a variety of choices. All cosmetics put for sale would be handmade and prepared organically by certified cosmetic scientists. The on-sale products would include a plethora of skin moisturizers, makeup, perfumes, soaps, face packs, hair dyes and nail polish. As we’re currently passing through a worldwide pandemic, MissYuA will also develop their own product line of hand sanitizers and face masks in order to stay relevant to the present market scenario. Now taking a deeper look at the products, the organic aspect would help the company fulfill its social responsibility by being environment-conscious, and this would result in substantial cost savings for the business too. Nowadays, there is more consumer awareness surrounding environmental issues and pollution, and an immense rise in demand for green products can be observed in recent years. Hence, consumers go crazy for eco-friendly products as it gives them a sense that they are saving the environment. Another point to consider is that, even to this day, various dubious chemicals are used to manufacture cosmetics which may end up being harmful or even cause allergic reactions for some users. Using organic ingredients therefore also promises safety to the customers. Business-wise, providing eco-friendly products is a powerful strategy to raise the company’s public image and build goodwill in the market. So either way you look at it, selling eco-friendly cosmetics would be a win-win situation for both sides! To add to all this, in a world where most cosmetics are just mass produced by machine-operated manufacturing units, the artisan feature of the products would mean high quality and originality, and also give customers a sense of personalization and value (which they crave!), as each product would be unique, handcrafted individually to order. Hence, all these unique benefits of MissYuA’s products would provide the company a competitive edge in the market and help it differentiate itself from the other competitors.
Since MissYuA follows the concept of e-commerce (B2C commerce), the customers will be provided a variety of online payment options, as gone are the days when actual cash was used for completing transactions. To keep up with this digital era we live in, MissYuA will accept payments from customers through credit and debit card payments and e-wallets. A special software would also be in place to keep track of all customer receipts, and points would be given to the customer’s account once the payment/purchase is recorded. This will happen almost instantaneously. Then by accumulating these points, after reaching certain milestones, customers will be given certain limited edition beauty kits in return for these points. (For example, the customer can exchange 250 points for one spa kit with bath bombs, scented soaps and bath salts, and so on and so forth.) This will increase customer engagement on the app as well as encourage them to make repeat purchases due to the point reward system. This will also help the company achieve high levels of customer retention, and consequently boost their sales and revenue. Discounts and special themed products would also be released during festival seasons and special holidays so that the customer experience always remains interesting and dynamic.
Now regarding the marketing strategy for MissYuA, the target customers would be eco-conscious women belonging to the age group of 20-45 who share a passion for causes that help improve their community and environment. These individuals want to buy cruelty-free cosmetics, while also avoiding chemicals that can harm them and the environment. They will also belong to the upper middle income and upper income social groups. Now, online tactics would be employed in order to reach out and appeal to these target customers. Proposed marketing techniques are advertisements on local blogs and websites that focus on environment-friendly themes, and by participating in online events and discussions such as webinars and virtual conferences. Strategic partnerships could also be formed with other businesses that offer complementary products and services. Promotion through email newsletters, influencer marketing and even Google/YouTube ads can also be considered.
In conclusion, to provide a final comprehensive statement about the suggested business idea (and business plan), MissYuA will, upon commencement of operations, sell a wide range of beauty services and products. We will provide quality hair, nail, and skin services, along with top lines of beauty products backed up by absolutely skilled, certified professionals. What will set MissYuA apart from the competition is our commitment to producing authentic, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, chemical-free cosmetics, our dedicated stylist workforce, our free-of-cost user-friendly app, and most importantly, our strict obedience to the pertaining coronavirus guidelines while conducting business, so that no one, be it the employees or customers, gets affected.
By Jemy Sara Joy
