Know What Your Consumers Want…and Give It To Them
In addition to her ventures in fragrance and fashion, Rihanna dove into the cosmetic industry. Starting in 2013, the music artist collaborated with MAC Cosmetics in creating her own collection called “RiRi hearts MAC,” which featured lipsticks and lipgloss. This year, Rihanna had larger plans, creating her own cosmetic brand.
In September 2017, she revealed “Fenty Beauty.” This highly anticipated makeup line shook social media for days. This was no surprise to Rihanna, and here’s why. Fenty Beauty features foundations and highlighters that will complement a wide range of skin tones, and she made it a goal to focus on the foundations for darker complexions. This was critical in appealing to the large population of women of color, who often feel that most makeup brands do not cater to the darker shades of foundations.
Rihanna was exceedingly attentive to these needs, as seen from the immediate sell out of the darker shades of her makeup. It is being rumored that a skincare line by Rihanna is in the works, and there is already anticipation for it to hit the market.
Fenty Beauty shows us two business lessons: the importance of appealing to consumers’ desires and responsiveness. Responsiveness refers to her ability to address issues that consumers saw in other products/brands. Rihanna made it a priority to include all women in her line, but specifically women of color. She was aware of their low satisfaction and difficulty finding makeup that fit their skin tones. Rihanna took this common issue that she observed and made it the platform of her brand. An iConnectHer article states, “Do your (market) research! This means listening to what the game is missing. This helps you fill the gaps in the market.” This is exactly what Rihanna did. From this decision, Fenty Beauty has attracted and satisfied thousands of consumers.
From these ventures, we see that Rihanna is bigger than music. As a businesswoman, Rihanna shows us the power of expanding outside your comfort zone, branding, collaborating, and giving people what they can’t get anywhere else. Oh, and always leave them wanting more!