Permission-based email marketing consultancy Madeforchina said the findings underscored the importance of word-of-mouth in purchase decisions.
The consultancy polled 800 women in nine tier one and two cities, including Chengdu and Nanjing, who had opted in to participate in regular research panels conducted by the Beau Knowledge Centre, a beauty shopping club. The centre is a collaborative venture involving marketers such as Chanel and Guerlain as well as agencies looking to gain a better understanding of how to build services and brands that would appeal to young female executives in the mainland.
The consultancy polled 800 women in nine tier one and two cities, including Chengdu and Nanjing, who had opted in to participate in regular research panels conducted by the Beau Knowledge Centre, a beauty shopping club. The centre is a collaborative venture involving marketers such as Chanel and Guerlain as well as agencies looking to gain a better understanding of how to build services and brands that would appeal to young female executives in the mainland.
Recommendations of friends and relatives have emerged as the most important factor influencing skincare purchases (41 per cent), followed by free sampling (33 per cent). "I don't believe this is a big shift from the traditional way women have always consulted friends and colleagues about skincare purchases, but what was surprising was the level of trust in bulletin boards, which I had thought was this anonymous place where people wouldn't place too much trust in," said Byron Constable, Madeforchina chairman.
Thirty-two per cent of respondents said bulletin boards offered the most trusted opinions on skincare products compared with 28 per cent who felt magazines did or 18 per cent for in-store beauty advisors. At the other end, responses for television, newspapers and package description as sources of trusted opinion were below 10 per cent.
Constable pointed to the level of unease in buying well advertised skincare brands as reason enough for skincare marketers to get involved in bulletin boards. When asked what made respondents most uneasy about buying well advertised new skincare brands, 44 per cent were worried the products would damage their skin and another 34 per cent were unsure if the product would really work.
The bulk of respondents were 26 to 33 years, earning from Rmb 800 (US$99) to more than Rmb 2,000 a month. The consultancy's next research project will be to look at whether female consumers exert any influence beyond the vanity aspect of colour and style in automotive purchasing.