Nordstrom Beauty Trend Show tent
Wouldn't you like this to be your makeup kit?
The Nordstrom Beauty Trend Show was the event that first attracted me to NorthPark Center’s Fashion at the Park. The promise of “the season’s newest fashions, makeup, skincare and fragrances” was irresistible to a cosmetics lover such as I. So I bought my ticket (just $15) and was thrilled when it came in the mail with a hand-written note.
Saturday morning began with a free buffet of pastries, bagels, alcoholic drinks (maybe I’m a square, but 9 a.m. is a bit early for cocktails), coffee and water. Attendees also registered for bountiful gift baskets, which were awarded later in the show by handsome male models (?) in OU and UT T-shirts (a reference to the football game later in the day).
The show itself, however, was something of a disappointment. It basically turned out to be sales pitches for products in between short fashion show segments. And the sales pitches were mediocre; it seemed that most of the cosmetics/product reps were speaking extemporaneously, a technique which came off as simply unprepared and uninteresting.
MAC promotes its Gold Fever collection.
The fashion show segments were intended to show the featured makeup looks (winter berries, smoky eyes, metallics) with related garments. The clothing was not couture, but the show’s stylists created looks with a surprising amount of flair and creativity. Prevalent trends were ombre, feathers, hats, patterned hose, mixing textures (such as tweed and leather), plaid and ankle boots.
Smoky eye look by Chanel Beauty
Of all the shows I have attended at Fashion at the Park, I did expect this one—a product-focused event—to offer a goody bag. This could’ve been done easily and, one would think, cheaply with Nordstrom shopping bags and samples from the brands. But instead the organizers chose to offer a cheap-looking pleather tote with a stamped “woven” texture as a giveaway. I didn’t attend the show solely to get something free, but Nordstrom missed an opportunity to put product samples directly in the hands of customers who had already demonstrated an interest in cosmetics by simply being at the trend show; samples would have been tangible reminders of the promoted products and would have likely fostered future sales.
Some free samples were mentioned in product presentations, so I assume that Nordstrom’s intention was to draw attendees to individual counters following the show and offer samples and an additional sales pitch at the counters. While this might have worked if the audience had been 25 people, it didn’t really work with an audience of a few hundred. Nordstrom’s cosmetics area post-show was a crowded din.
The edge of the melee at Nordstrom post-show.
People were claiming their free pleather bags, or getting makeovers at the counters and in the aisle, or just milling around. Remembering which counters were offering free samples or demonstrations was a struggle (it should’ve been printed in the program as a checklist), much less wading through the throng to the counter and then finding an employee to wait on you. I left after a few minutes without claiming my free tote or any free samples.
View some of the fashion looks in the slideshow below.
In summary…
What Nordstrom did well:
- Presented a variety of fashion looks that are on trend for this season.
- Offered free makeovers following the show.
- Offered a $15 coupon on any day-of-show purchases to offset the ticket price.
- Offered generous baskets for a mid-show drawing.
What I think Nordstrom could improve on next season:
- If possible, move to an indoor location again. Attendees would be more comfortable, and projections on the video screens—which are vital to seeing the makeup looks if you’re in the back row—would be visible, unlike this season.
- Presenters should be well-rehearsed.
- A goody bag of samples would reinforce the presentations and convert into sales.
- Any counters offering free samples or services should be clearly noted in the program, possibly in a checklist form, to encourage show attendees to visit the counters.
- Temporarily expand the makeover/cosmetics area even further; the crush of people following the show was offputting to anyone who actually wanted to shop the cosmetics area.
Beauty Crucible 