CLINIQUE
To take advantage of a viral moment for its classic Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, Clinique used a live shopping event to launch an Instagram-exclusive set featuring the product, which was added to 85% of orders over 11 days.
Launched in 1968, Clinique became a beauty industry trailblazer with its dermatologist-created skincare products and its recognizable brand image of in-store advisors dressed in pristine white lab coats. The brand remains committed to its original mission to provide the safest and most effective skincare formulas possible.
of orders via Instagram and Facebook from September 14–25, 2021 contained one of the Instagram-exclusive sets1
faster product launch activation (3 days, compared to average 3-week activation time for new product launches)2
As a surge in popularity led to Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey selling out online and in stores, the brand wanted to further accelerate consumer demand by providing shoppers with a new way to discover the bestselling lipstick shade.
Demand for Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey spiked during the summer of 2021, propelled by the momentum of numerous beauty and social trends. The product’s sudden rise in popularity meant that it sold out in major retail stores and also went temporarily out of stock on Clinique’s website. The brand had travel-size inventory in stock, however. Determined to build on Black Honey’s viral moment, the brand partnered with Instagram to launch an exclusive 7-piece kit. The spotlight product: the in-stock, travel-size Black Honey lipstick.
As Black Honey trended, the team worked quickly to plan and organize the product launch via a live shopping event on Instagram. The 20-minute show featured a simple and conversational format: three Clinique Field Executives appeared onscreen to share what they loved about Black Honey. Each one applied the shade so viewers could see how the product looked on a variety of skin tones. The product link was pinned on-screen, so that viewers could add the product to their shopping carts at any time and purchase on Instagram.
Throughout the broadcast, Clinique took advantage of the engaging experience of live shopping on Instagram. Viewers were encouraged to add comments and questions, which the hosts could read and respond to as they came in. As the broadcast culminated, the hosts reminded viewers how they could simply buy the set on Instagram.
Clinique promoted the launch for three days after the live shopping event. The brand created more buzz with posts in its Instagram feed that highlighted the exclusive launch, as well as through Stories. Both its feed and Stories posts included product tag links that people could click to view the product details in Clinique’s shop on Instagram and purchase the item without leaving the app.
Clinique’s Instagram-exclusive product launch and live shopping shopping event helped the brand achieve multiple goals. Using data from Commerce Manager and Clinique’s ecommerce insights platform, the team measured the following results:
85% of orders via Instagram and Facebook from September 14–25, 2021 contained one of the exclusive product sets
7X faster product launch activation (3 days, compared to average 3-week activation time for new product launches)
These results were provided by Clinique based on a campaign run in September 2021 and are not the result of a controlled study. Your results may vary.