Asian J Beauty Cosmetol. 2006; 4(2): 21-29.

Study on Target Marketing Strategy Based on Each Consumer Group in Cosmetics Business

Sung-Il Kim, Duik-Hong Min, Jong-Heuk Park, Hwan-Ku Lee, Yoon-Cheul Choi, Hye-Jeung Koh, and Eun-Hye Lee

Currently, focusing on quality and luxury brands is the dominating trend in Korean cosmetics market in order to cope with imported cosmetics and efforts are being made to employ localization strategy to penetrate south east asian countries and China, capitalizing on Korean wave sweeping through these areas. Nowadays, the number of working women is rapidly growing more than ever before and as working couples are very common, women establish themselves as the subject of economic activity with an imposing air. Women's involvement in economy is steadily growing, although it still falls short compared to that in Europe. As more and more women get into social activity, various life styles such as working mom, singles, DINKs emerge and more and more women require new products and services that can accommodate the change of life style. As this kind of increasing demand has created a new market, women are coming to the front as new business partners, and education level among young women who are very much interested in their looks and beauty getting high and women's aggressive social activity has brought them high income and their consciousness highly enhanced. In modern society, as the values of cosmetics consumers diversify, so does consumer desire for cosmetic products. The diversification of desire has brought distinction in aesthetical expression, which lead to product diversification. However, no matter how much diversifications are made, consumers get bored quickly, which in return shortens the life cycle of cosmetics. Desire for beauty is now expanding into men, children, and elderly people as well as women. No matter how old they are, they want to look good, attractive and transition to an aging society increases longing for healthy, beautiful old age. Age range of cosmetics users and men's use of cosmetics are getting more and more expanded. Already, cosmetics have turned from luxury goods into daily necessities and then into cultural goods, expanding the range of the consumer recognition. Besides, as women's involvement in society increase and the concept of strict contractual society spreads, so will the use of cosmetics to enhance their value as marketable product. Therefore, cosmetics industry needs to develop various marketing strategies based on product category by consumer group and continue to invest in R&D for successful future.