Decoding the factors driving the beauty and wellness market ahead with full force

The wide market of beauty and wellness has a lot of factors which are giving it the strong base needed to prove that feeling good is the new looking good. Beauty and wellness go hand in hand. It is said you will look good outside when you’ll feel good inside but with the changing times, the notions on which such statements work are also changing. If we put it in simple words, people are choosing healthy lifestyles and routines to reach their marked point of beauty and this trend is meant to stay.

Men’s Grooming Market- Changing mindsets
The men’s grooming market is experiencing massive changes. The practices and routines which were considered to be meant for women are being embraced by men as well. The changing trends in the market have set quite many priorities for both men and women. Beauty and wellness mean a lot more now to men as compared to what it used to some years back. Many brands have also ventured in men’s grooming to give that edge to men in looking good which were reserved for women all these years.

According to, Mr Mridumesh Rai, Brand Director- Park Avenue, Raymond Apparel Ltd., the whole idea of looking good and of going to the salon was thought of as being feminine and not a masculine thing to do. Today, men are accepting this trend. In fashion also, there is this similar change happening. Floral prints are liked by men as much as they are liked by women.

Social Media- Catching attention of consumers
Social media has taken control of every aspect of our everyday life. It has immense power to influence the consumer the way it wants. Brands have started to use social media for promoting and coaxing the consumers to invest their money in them and it is doing wonders for their business.

As spoken by Mr Anurag Mathur, Partner- Consumer Goods and Retail, PwC India, at the Salon and Wellness Congress 2017, the widespread exposure being caused by digital media is very large and a big part of the population is penetrated digitally. Mr. Pushkaraj joined in and said that social media has put our lives and us under the spotlight. It has made us a lot more conscious about how we look.

The social media does play an important role in influencing our minds and choices in a way that helps the brands. Consumers follow trends and social media helps them in matching their pace with what’s hot.

Market Sentiments- Metros V/s Non- Metros
The consumers and their choices are driving the market sentiments. The market gets divided between metros and non-metros. The choices of both the segments differ and the way of approaching them also changes.

According to Mr Anurag Mathur, there is a rise in the population of people who are aware of the salon and spa services. There is a clear macroeconomics point of view of how disposable incomes will be utilised more on such services in 2018. The brands are getting in the Indian middle-class stage where a significant increase in consumption can be seen.

The change in the pattern to lead lives has also added to the market taking turns to flip according to the consumers’ demands. Adding further, Mr Pushkaraj said that there is a huge change in the lifestyle. The millennial mindset is something which affects everything. Age is a matter of mind as it really depends on what you want to be.

Giving his viewpoint on approaching the consumers, Mr Nitin Kalwani, Managing Director, Juice Salon, said that The Indian market is still a lot far away from the luxury section. There is still 80% market which is still not catered to. Salons are being opened in big cities and the same model is being taken to the small cities which add up to a wrong approach. The Salons need to customise their services, quote the prices and understand what they want after which they should enter the metro cities, he concluded.

Conclusion
Consumers have changed their way of looking at trends and how things were done in the past. The concept of feeling good is the new looking good is being proven right as both the genders are focusing on their wellbeing and appearance more than before.