Summertime is the season when women use less makeup and with the downturn in the economy that could mean even lower sales this next quarter. However, by promoting the right products you can help recover, or even increase your summer cosmetics sales! Here are five products to focus on promoting this summer.

1. Nail Polish

Overall cosmetic and toiletry sales were down by 0.8% last year. But nail polish is the only cosmetic to see a double digit increase  – 14.3% since last year –  because many women are giving themselves manicures and pedicures at home and skipping pricey salon visits. Summer is also the season when nails see the most exposure, so make sure your consumers have plenty of bright summer shades to choose from.

2. Bronzer and Sunless Tanners

Sun-kissed skin is always a fashionable look and is especially sought after in summer months. Stock your shelves with sunless tanner products since consumers often want to give their tans a jump start before appearing at the beach or pool in their swim suits. Bronzers also contribute to looking more tanned and summery so be sure to have plenty on hand.

3. Lip Protection

Frequent sun exposure can cause burnt, chapped, and uncomfortable lips. Make sure you are promoting lip products with SPF, aloe, and other cooling/healing ingredients. Lip balms are among consumers’ top impulse purchases, so make sure to have a display somewhere near checkout as a reminder for them.

4. Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must-have when the summer months roll around because skin protection is important, not just for women, but for the whole family. Have a wide variety of sunscreens to choose from and feature them prominently in your store and remind associates to suggest it with every other summer-type purchase.

5. Moisturizers

Consumers have more exposed skin in summer than any other time of year. After all of the sun’s exposure to bare skin, you can bet your consumers will want to keep their skin hydrated. Moisturizers that contain sunless tanner are great to promote because your consumers get two products in one, making them feel the great value of the product.

Cosmetic Promotions, a National marketing and promotion company, completed a 6 month customer response survey on in-store demonstrations. The survey was conducted during several events in various retailers between 4^th Quarter 2008 and 1^st quarter 2009.

Of the almost 3000 people surveyed,

• 60% had never tried any of the products demonstrated before
• 35% intended to purchase immediately based on the demonstration, another 56% intended to purchase later (less than 9% had no purchase intent)
• 96% would like more of the same event at that store

The age group breakdown was as follows:

• 25% – under 25
• 44% – 25-50
• 31% – over 50

The events are usually conducted by a professional makeup artist and features brands such as Cover Girl, Wet n Wild and Neutrogena in mass drug, food or merchandiser stores.  Markwins Company hired Cosmetic Promotions to do over 500 in-store events during this period on their Wet n Wild and Black Radiance brands and to introduce their new Beauty Benefits Brand. At a recent Beauty Benefits event, sales average 3 pieces per hour with a closure rate of 150%. The closure rate is figured by dividing the number of sales by the number of makeovers performed. 82% if the customers had never tried or heard of the brand prior to the event and the company is happy with the results.

At a recent Neutrogena Cosmetic event held in Meijer’s stores, sales were almost 6 pieces per hour with a 277% closure rate. Of the 67% who had never tried Neutrogena, more than 2/3rds made a purchase during the event.

To further encourage customers to stop and participate, these events usually include a drawing for a Beauty Basket. Customers can also opt in to be notified of future events by checking that box on the entry forms, so these events also provide a valuable mailing list for the customer. In addition, the makeup artists take time to train the store associates on the brands so sales continue even after the event is over.

For more information on how you can benefit from such an event, contact Kristin Bocox with the CosPro Agency at 877-326-7776 or kristin@cosmeticpromotions.com.

The RITE AID Beauty The RITE Way Sampling program delivers fun and exciting product samples straight into consumers hands at local African American community events throughout the nation. Check out one of the wonderful events we attended below:

To commemorate the enormous impact that historically black fraternities and sororities have had on African American history, our present conditions, and our future, N2 Greek hosted a large scale fashion show and Party Stroll competition at the Carson Community center in Los Angeles, CA on February 22, 2009. We were onsite to hand out great sample bags as members from each of the nine organizations participated in a fashion show that displayed the current trends in the black community and Greek letter apparel worn by the sororities. The evening ended with a “Party Stroll” competition with members of each sorority coming together to display their pride in their organization through a combination of dance and traditional stepping.

With over 200 local chapters of the nine organizations in the Southern California region, the event reached thousands of college educated, professional individuals, who are members of one of the nine organizations and their families. The organizers of the event ran a great show. Overall, the crowd loved the gift bags and everyone was very grateful. We were even lucky enough to congratulate a $100 Rite Aid gift card winner!

Those of us with oily skin were feeling left out..It seems that most of the concealers of the world were designed for dry skin. So what’s a girl to do that has the misfortune of combination/oily skin AND dark circles? From our search we found CoverGirl Fresh Complexion Concealer.

This concealer lasts all day, so you won’t look like a raccoon when the work day is over. This formula is lightweight and transfer resistant; we liked the way it didn’t interfere with our eyeshadow and eyeliner. The best part is that since it won’t clog pores you can use it on blemishes as well.

Tip: This is a lightweight formula, it works by diffusing light instead of heavily covering the problem areas. If you want a more heavy duty effect, use underneath your foundation.