Report on The Body Shop - Executive Summary

Running head: THE BODY SHOP
THE BODY SHOP
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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THE BODY SHOP
Executive Summary
The main aim of the report is to examine how the brand influences its customers to purchase
their products as well as services. As per the report, it was found that there are several
traditional methods of communication mix that are sued by the company to win the loyalty of
the customers. The paper further shows the influencing behaviour and decision of the
customers while buying the product of the company. The study discusses how the Body Shop
is still being able to retain itself in the market by adopting many strategic policies. The paper
also shows that different techniques are selected by the company to promote its products.
Furthermore, recommendations have also been illustrated that might help the company to
remain in the market in the coming years.

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Table of Contents
Overview of the Product............................................................................................................3
Marketing Communication Mix.................................................................................................3
Critical Analysis.........................................................................................................................6
Recommendation........................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................9

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THE BODY SHOP
Overview of the Product
The Body Shop is a brand that sells products such as skincare, perfume as well as
cosmetics. The brand is a subsidiary of a company in Brazil known as Natura & Co (Isaak
2016). It has more than one thousand products at its disposal and has approximately three
thousand store outlets internationally. The products of The Body Shop are natural and
handcrafted made by seeds of sesame oil, shea butter, nut oil as well as honey (Pauziah and
Mulyana 2018). The brand always invites the stakeholders as well as employees to visit their
supplier of community trade to check what benefits has the program bought to the products of
the company. They do not test their products on animals. The company has always been
involved in peace projects across the globe. The Body Shop is one of the leading cosmetic
brands that is being recognised by many customers nowadays. They have collaborated with
many charity foundations and have started natural beauty campaigns. Customers are invited
to experience the products of the company. They take social responsibility for their products
that garb the attention of the customers. They run both internal as well as external business.
They are even confident about the products that they sell; that is the reason behind their
success. Their products are eco-friendly that attract customers to them who want to keep their
skin fresh in the increasing pollution (Majláth 2017). They not only sell products for women
but have an extensive collection of cosmetics for men as well. Even though the brand has
been successfully recognised, they are still coming up with new ideas and innovations that
help them compete with other brands. The brand’s ethical, naturally compelling as well as the
environmental story makes the brand successful and help them to stand above others. The
demand for products is increasing with each passing day.

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THE BODY SHOP
Marketing Communication Mix
Earlier, The Body Shop was not recognised by many people as the technology was
not so advanced. With the passage of time and the initiatives that were taken by the company,
the brand gradually became a household name. Its presence was felt even internationally.
Since its establishment, The Body Shop has had a reliable distribution network that works
towards bringing the raw materials and again sending the manufactured products to the
customers. It had a distinct supplier network that helped them to get their desired raw
materials from the local communities. It has always believed in the system of franchise and
beautiful outlets that would help to attract customers (Aras et al 2017). Along with the retail
shop, the brand’s products were also available through a multilevel channel known as ‘The
Body Shop at Home.’ This scheme was started in 1994, and with the help of this, the
company was able to recruit people from the market as well as continued to sell its products.
This channel was initially introduced in Australia and after its recognition, it was expanded to
other countries as well. Earlier due to lack of social media, the company invested its money
on models to advertise their products. They promoted their products on the colour page of
magazines since it was popular in those times. (Eneizan and Obaid 2016) They also spent a
lot of price on packaging and designing of the luxury products. It was successful in
establishing itself as an anti-waster and a brand that believes in natural ingredients that were
against animal testing, traded fairly, defended the rights of humans, found in self-esteem and
worked towards protecting the planet by introducing eco-friendly products (Pauziah and
Mulyana 2018). These aspects made the customers emotionally connected with the brand,
and they started trusting it. They developed and supported all campaigns to defend the rights
of animals. After facing years of trouble from 2010, it began to re-brand itself and entered
into the niche market with healthy images when the shop was facing the problem of growing
competition.

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The brand gradually positioned its products for the new generation. The brand has
adopted many marketing policies to promote its products. It has taken a marketing concept
that is societal and encourages the use of plant materials (Peattie 2016). They promote
products through fashion magazines that is a traditional marketing strategy. It also has its
personal website that advertises its products which are known as personal selling. The site
keeps the customers updated about new products and services (The body shop 2020). The
brand has tied up with various shopping portals to sell their products online. Articles
regarding skincare and their method of applying are also posted on the website. They
promote their brand in the consumer market. The brand mainly targets women but they also
have products for men. They follow the concept of segmentation where they have segmented
their products based on several occupations like-working adults, homemakers and teenagers
(Liu et al 2017). This way they can influence a group of people to their brand. The company
has introduced organic products that would not affect the skin. To attract the consumers, they
create a balance between financial as well as the needs of humans including the consumers,
employees, suppliers and others (Mohanraj and Karthikeyan 2016). This way they build
customer loyalty. They actively advertise themselves to establish itself as a green company
(Hayat 2019). The traditional marketing mix involves organizing events and campaigns to
promote the product. The brand follows this very diligently. Their campaign “Enrich and not
exploit” has gaining popularity where they aim to enrich customers, planets as well as
products. By making their product ethical, they can influence the customer’s personal buying
decision (Chun 2016). The customers are also affected by family and friends to buy the
products of the company as it is organic; this is known as sales promotion. They control the
decision-making process by making the product skin-friendly and unique from other products
that are not long-lasting. Though the brand is a recognised one, it is still affordable. The
brand is now advertising its products through YouTube and blogs to convey their message.

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They promote their products through videos and store content instead of promoting their
products on television. The products of the brand are vegan and skin-friendly, so it attracts
the customers (The body shop 2020). They also use the method of direct selling by their
channels that gives the consumers complimentary services. With their unique social content,
they encourage customers to buy their products (Armstrong et al 2018). The company uses
email marketing along with a weekly newsletter that keeps them updated about products,
services and campaigns. They have their personal consumer line where they solve the
customer queries through phone, website, and email. By doing this, they have incorporated
the traditional communication mix of interactive marketing.
Critical Analysis
The communication mix discussed above strongly aligns with the research and
findings of Assessment one and two. In Assessment two, it was found that customers come to
know about the products and services of the brand through the cosmetic store that is an
example of a traditional marketing communication mix that is related to personal selling
(Jovanov 2016). This has been discussed in the above section as the company wants to
connect with the customers and win their loyalty and confidence. At the store, the customers
can even try the products and then purchase it if they are willing. Through the findings in the
assessment, it was also clear that customers come to know about the products through the
events and campaigns that are organized by the company, which is again an example of the
traditional communication mix. With the help of events and campaigns, customer loyalty is
increased as it describes the customers about the products and services along with the plans
of the company (Kemna 2017). This also helps the company to know about the expectations
of the consumers they have regarding the company.

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Through the communication mix of advertising the company has gained a lot of
customer loyalty. The advertisement talks about the price of the product that is affordable and
mentioned in assignment one that influences the buying behaviour of the customer. The ads
talk about the ethical terms of the products that attract the customers. The brand promoting
natural use of ingredients is another factor that influences the buying behaviour of the person.
Interactive marketing has also been applied by the company as a communication mix to
promote their products. Through the interactive method, the company has been successful in
describing the quality of the product that has attracted a lot of people which is also evident in
the previous assessments. They have been invited to the store and design of packaging that is
a crucial factor in influencing the customer (The body shop 2020). This communication mix
connects the customers with the brand, and they get to know about the product and its
advantages. They are also able to tell their personal problem which is resolved by the
company; therefore, customers consider The Body Shop to be the most successful brand that
is known for its quality and service (Sanidewi and Paramita 2018).
By reading both the assessments, it is concluded in the current evaluation that quality
is what attracts the customers and not the pricing though the latter is affordable that brings
more customers to their side (Chairunnisa, Fahmi and Jahroh 2019). The previous
assessments too support the customers are primarily influenced by their friends and family
members to purchase the product. This is a type of traditional sales promotional mix. From
the results and findings that were conducted for previous assessments, it is clear that the most
appropriate tool for promoting the products of The Body Shop is advertising as well as
cosmetic stores (Supardi 2017). Through direct marketing communication mix, the company
gives complementary services to its loyal customers that makes it popular amongst people.
These are the reasons why the company is favorite amongst people as the services and
products both give positive results.

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Recommendation
The Body Shop is a well-recognised brand across the globe and accessible among
women. It is best known for its quality that is eco-friendly and organic. With time the
company has adopted many strategies and policies to retain itself in the market. However,
some areas for recommendation is still untouched. Though it is the most favourite brand, it
has its limitations; therefore, recommendations are needed in some areas so that it can retain
itself and compete in the market in the years to come. The company should improve its
advertising strategy. They advertise their products in different ways but still haven’t used the
television medium to advertise their products. Due to this many people are still unaware of
the company. Television is the most important medium for promoting a product as everyone
has access to it. By not advertising their products on television, the company is lagging
behind others. The TV will attract more customers to the products of the company. Secondly,
not all social media sites are used for promotion. They promote their products through
YouTube videos. The company should advertise products through different social media as
everyone is connected to it. They should advertise as well as promote products through social
media such as Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest that is frequently used by people. Everyone uses
these social media; therefore, people will be able to know about the product and services of
the brand and become their loyal customers.
Furthermore, as the company already manufactures brands for adults and teenagers of
both genders, they should now introduce baby products as their brands are already positioned
as having the best quality because of its use of natural ingredients. The skin of a newborn
child is as delicate as a flower and needs natural products that would suit and protects the
sensitive skin of the child. As The Body Shop is already a trusted and recognised brand, its
baby products would not take much time to give fierce competition to other skincare products
for babies in the market. People will trust the brand more than any other brand as they are

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well acquainted with the quality and result of the product. Lastly, it can use the technique of
Google AdSense to promote its products continuously. These ads do not require much space
and are popular because the size is already adapted. The brand does not have to consistently
be on toes to attract more customers as the ads will automatically pop up while watching or
doing something online. The AdSense will match the ads with the site based on the content of
the viewers. This way the company will reach its desired target market.
References
Aras, M., Syam, H., Jasruddin, J., Akib, H. and Haris, H., 2017, July. The effect of service
marketing mix on consumer decision making. In International Conference on Education,
Science, Art and Technology (pp. 108-112).
Armstrong, G.M., Kotler, P., Harker, M.J. and Brennan, R., 2018. Marketing: an
introduction. Pearson UK.
Chairunnisa, S.S., Fahmi, I. and Jahroh, S., 2019. How Important Is Green Marketing Mix
For Consumer? Lesson From The Body Shop. Jurnal Manajemen, 23(2), pp.321-337.
Chun, R., 2016. What holds ethical consumers to a cosmetics brand: The Body Shop
case. Business & Society, 55(4), pp.528-549.
Eneizan, B.M. and Obaid, T.F., 2016. Prior research on green marketing and green marketing
strategy: critical analysis. Singaporean Journal of Business, Economics and Management
Studies, 51(3965), pp.1-19.
Hayat, K., 2019. THE IMPACT OF GREEN MARKETING MIX ON GREEN BUYING
BEHAVIOR:(A CASE OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA EVIDENCE FROM THE
CUSTOMERS). City University Research Journal, 9(1).

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Isaak, R., 2016. The making of the ecopreneur. In Making Ecopreneurs (pp. 63-78).
Routledge.
Jovanov, T., 2016. Marketing is Dead! Long Live Marketing!
Kemna, L., 2017. The body shop Indonesia (Doctoral dissertation).
Liu, Y., Li, K.J., Chen, H. and Balachander, S., 2017. The effects of products’ aesthetic
design on demand and marketing-mix effectiveness: The role of segment prototypicality and
brand consistency. Journal of Marketing, 81(1), pp.83-102.
Majláth, M., 2017. The effect of greenwashing information on ad evaluation. European
Journal of Sustainable Development, 6(3), pp.92-92.
Mohanraj, G. and Karthikeyan, P., 2016. Green Marketing-New Opportunities and
Challenges. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 6(7), pp.1238-
1244.
Pauziah, P. and Mulyana, M., 2018. Formulation of The Green Marketing Development
Strategy for the Body Shop Botani Square Bogor. In THE INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (p. 171).
Pauziah, P. and Mulyana, M., 2018. Formulation of The Green Marketing Development
Strategy for the Body Shop Botani Square Bogor. In THE INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (p. 171).
Peattie, K., 2016. Green marketing. In The marketing book (pp. 595-619). Routledge.
Sanidewi, H. and Paramita, E.L., 2018. The role of perceived green marketing and brand
equity on green purchasing decision. Diponegoro International Journal of Business, 1(1),
pp.14-25.

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Supardi, N., 2017. The Influence of Brand Personality Dimensions Towards Brand Loyalty:
A Study at The Body Shop Lampung (Doctoral dissertation, UNIVERSITAS LAMPUNG).
The body shop (2020). About Us | Global Site. [online] Thebodyshop.com. Available at:
https://www.thebodyshop.com/about-us [Accessed 12 Feb. 2020].