Taylor's University x FOREO Sweeden

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24 Jan 2022

5 Min Read

The Taylor's Team

IN THIS ARTICLE

A Collaboration Project on Consumers Insights & Digital Opportunities in Malaysia’s Luxury Beauty Products Industry.

 

Over the August 2021 semester, Taylor's University collaborated with FOREO, a Swedish beauty-tech company, to deliver sharing sessions for two subjects, namely Consumer Behaviour & Social Commerce as well as Digital Marketing, and to subsequently evaluate the video presentations prepared by the students through a mini competition. The main objectives of the sharing sessions were to provide the students an opportunity to develop critical analysis of social media and digital marketing strategies in the beauty-tech industry. This allows the students to have a broader perspective on discovering the behaviour of consumers in terms of their intention to purchase and awareness of luxury goods in Malaysia.

 

FOREO is a Swedish beauty-tech company that delivers technologically advanced skincare devices loved by users globally. The company has been endorsed by Vogue, Business Insider, and Independent UK to name a few. Founded in 2013 with a rebellious spirit and thirst for more, FOREO creates visionary beauty and well-being solutions, combining cutting-edge technology with award-winning, sleek Swedish designs. Since its conception, FOREO has 8 years of global expansion, entering 86 markets with more than 3,200 employees catering to a growing number of 25 million customers worldwide.

MKT60204 Consumer Behaviour, First Winner

Chua Yin Zhi, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

 

"The time and effort everyone contributed were the key to completing the entire project successfully."

 

It's an honor to have worked on the consumer behavior survey for FOREO’s target market in Malaysia. Although I've heard of the brand through a Chinese variety show, I never really got to know much about the company and its products. Through the project, I've gained a better understanding of FOREO, recognising the premium quality of its beauty products. Furthermore, I've gained experience in conducting and analysing marketing surveys which has improved my problem-solving skills as we were able to propose marketing strategies for issues that FOREO may face when penetrating the Malaysian market.

 

When I was informed that our group had won first place, I was surprised! At the sametime, I felt honored and grateful. I'd like to thank my groupmates for being very supportive and cooperative. The time and effort everyone contributed were the key to completing the entire project successfully and getting first place. I'd also like to thank Dr. Hong for being very helpful in providing feedback and guidelines to further improve our presentation. I really appreciate the affirmation given by FOREO for our efforts on this project. I hope the survey findings and marketing strategies are practical for them and I wish FOREO all the best for their future.

 

 

Foong Yi Shuen, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

"The award is a fantastic validation of our efforts and I hope it'll serve as a source of additional motivation for us."

 

The opportunity to participate in this project organised by FOREO has been an honor and I'm grateful to them for recognising our efforts by placing our group in first place. This has allowed me to gain confidence and provided me with opportunities to get useful marketing research report experience for the future. Furthermore, I'd like to express my gratitude to my team members for their ability to communicate clearly and operate at a high level of productivity. 

 

Despite the fact difficulty to connect with people during this epidemic, we're nevertheless able to complete our assignment in an effective manner. We exchange pertinent views, ideas, and important information, and I believe I would't have been able to win this award without the help of my fantastic partner. The award is a fantastic validation of our efforts and I hope it will serve as a source of additional motivation for us. I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Dr. Hong, my instructor, for her assistance and guidance during this research. Her kindness and understanding motivated me to put my best effort throughout the whole project. Finally, I hope that our reports were of use to FOREO and I send my best wishes to the firm in all of its endeavors. 

 

 

Koay Ser Yun, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

"Our greatest strength in this project is the positive group dynamics." 

 

Overall, I feel like our greatest strength in the FOREO project is the positive group dynamics between each team members. We've been working together on different group assignments since semester one so, naturally, we're quite familiar with each team members’ strengths and weaknesses. For that reason, we were able to distribute our work efficiently without having any conflicts. Besides that, communication is also the key factor to our success. Despite being unable to meet each other physically due to online learning, we'd always try our best to communicate with each other face-to-face virtually whenever something comes up to mind. 

 

In my opinion, the main challenge of this project is coming up with the survey questionnaire that tackles on consumer’s brand awareness, perception, and purchase intention towards FOREO as well as other beauty-tech brands. Besides, finding our target respondents was difficult because we were asked to find young female working adults as much as possible. Apart of getting respondents from our relatives, we even joined groups on Facebook such as, Tips Makeup Cosmetics Malaysia, Expat Women Malaysia, Skincare Beauty Malaysia, and etc to reach out to more of our target respondents.

 

Lastly, I appreciate both Taylor’s University as well as FOREO for the collaboration with the purpose of giving students the chance to experience real-life marketing through the Consumer Behaviour module. Personally, I take the good news of us winning the project as my year-end gift. It’s a reward to me and my teammates for all the efforts that we've made and a great motivation in pushing ourselves to go further. 

From left to right: Chua Yin Zhi, Foong Yi Shuen, Yeoh Ze Yee

Lee Liang Eng, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

"A great deal has been learned, experienced, and addressed." 

 

I'm tremendously happy to receive first place in the FOREO assignment in my academic year. This is among the most significant events of my university life and I shall look at this day with great fondness. Thank you FOREO for providing the chance for the opportunity to allow a group-determined effort and finishing the provided project as a team. I hope the report is beneficial to FOREO and I wish the firm continued success.

 

I'd also like to convey my deepest thanks to my lecturer, Dr. Hong Kay Tze, for her guidance during this study period. Reflecting on my involvement in the group simulation project, it's possible to assert that a great deal has been learned, experienced, and addressed. By analysing the team dynamics and the academic literature that accompanied the learning this semester, it's possible to conclude that a new body of knowledge and understanding was generated. In addition, I'm thankful for my group of members who share a common interest and goal of doing the best we can and to encourage each other so that we don't let anything slow us down, focusing on getting the assignments done on a timely basis. 

 

Indeed, I'm grateful to the members of this group for their contributions to this initiative. I'm looking forward to many more opportunities to collaborate on future projects. 

 

 

Nur Hidayah Basirah, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

"I've learned the importance of teamwork and communication throughout this assignment."

 

I've learned the importance of teamwork and communication throughout this assignment. Without my group members, the process of researching and developing ideas for FOREO wouldn't have been as easy.

 

As such, I'd like to begin by expressing my profound thanks to my group members. I've been thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with them over the last few months. Thank you for challenging me professionally and for making each day a pleasure to be a part of your team. I honestly couldn't have asked for a more competent colleague. I'd also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Hong for her guidance, encouragement, and support. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn that perseverance and hard work will pay off.

 

 

Yeoh Ze Yee, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

"Our success is due to the efficiency and productivity of the team." 

 

I'm overjoyed to have had the chance to accomplish one of the most important milestones of my academic career. I was startled when I heard that our group had won the first honour! Humility and gratitude are expressed in my heart at the same time. With the opportunity given by FOREO, we got to participate in an intriguing and challenging assignment. This surely presents us with a new means of conducting real-time market research and participating in it. I'm grateful to our tutor, Dr. Hong, for all of her ideas that enabled us to do a more thorough study for this assignment. However, this isn't my own victory. 

 

Thanks to my outstanding groupmates, we've devoted all of our efforts and attention to it. I've learned a great deal during the investigation, problem-solving, research, data collection, and analysis processes, as well as throughout the report's presentation. Our success is due to the efficiency and productivity with which we spend in communication and preparation. "No pains, no gains." I grasped the true significance of this adage when we poured our hearts and souls into this challenge.

MKT60204 Consumer Behaviour, Second Winner

Yap Ker Jiun, Bachelor of Business (Hons) Digital Marketing and Analytics

"My team members and I conducted online meetings for at least three hours every night to make sure we paid attention to every detail the best we could."

 

This module is the one I learned the most from compared to the other modules this semester. When I learned that our assignment was a collaboration with a real company, FOREO, I felt very excited, because it wasn't just an assignment, but a real case example, and I personally like this brand very much.

 

I found it difficult to do this assignment at first because the company's information is hard to find. Although it was difficult, we worked very hard on this assignment to get the best result. When our lecturer announced that my group was in the top five, I was very happy but I also felt very anxious because I really wanted to get in the top three. In order to get into the top three, my team members and I conducted online meetings for at least three hours every night to make sure we paid attention to every detail the best we could. It was really a hard time, but the effort was not in vain, and I was very happy that my team finally won second place.

 

Through this assignment, I learned how to design the questionnaire, how to describe the findings we collected from the survey, how to present our marketing ideas, and so on. In fact, I think FOREO is a very good product. They also carried out various publicity methods but their publicity may not be wide enough. Hence, there are still many people in Malaysia who don't know this brand. Therefore, we hope to make this product widely known in Malaysia through our recommended Malaysian influencer and some publicity methods. The influencers that we recommended, who are most in line with the brand's image, are carefully selected by us.

 

Thanks to our lecturer and FOREO for giving us such a great opportunity. My team members and I have learned a lot in the process. Finally, I'd like to thank my team members for their cooperation so that we can successfully complete this assignment. 

 

 

Kor Zhu Le, Bachelor of Business (Hons) Digital Marketing and Analytics

"I've discovered that collaboration is crucial in completing the assignment."

 

In my opinion, the FOREO project is an effective project that allows us to put what we've learned into practice. By completing the assignment, I'm able to determine which advertising approach is appropriate to apply. Furthermore, by conducting the survey, we're able to examine the consumer's perspective, allowing us to gather more information and implement the most accurate approach of promotion. Aside from that, I discovered that regardless of whatever strategy, they each have their benefits and downsides so it's critical for marketers to measure the method before adopting it.

 

Furthermore, we discover that online marketing is rapidly becoming the primary medium of which marketers should concentrate their efforts. Nowadays, key opinion leaders (KOLs) play an essential role in internet advertising. However, the choice of influencer and method of marketing is critical. If a corporation chooses an influencer with a large number of followers without first studying the audience and the methods of collaboration, the advertising may be ineffective.

 

Aside from that, I've discovered that collaboration is crucial in completing the assignment. We are able to bring more ideas to the project and be more mindful to the project when we operate as a team which enhances the work as well. It's also necessary to hold discussions and meetings so everyone can focus on the matter, making the task more successful.

 

Overall, our team has been working and putting in a lot of effort into the project since September. I'm grateful to have such a good leader, Ker Jiun, who contributes significantly to the project. I'm thankful and pleased that our efforts were rewarded.

From left to right: Dr Goh See Kwong, Yap Ker Jiun, Dr Hong Kay Tze

Zhang Lejia, Bachelor of Business (Hons) Digital Marketing and Analytics

"I greatly appreciate being able to do this assignment which helped us practice the knowledge that we have learned with practical work."

 

This semester I've experienced a really meaningful journey with this assignment and FOREO which effectively connected the knowledge that I'd learned in class and practical marketing work. Also, I've learned a lot of skills that I didn't know before. At the same time, I'm also very appreciate of my lecturer and group member’s efforts. 

During the whole semester, our group member always kept in close touch. We kept the frequency of our meetings once or twice per week which helped a lot in making sure that we can communicate new ideas in time. Also, it made sure that problems can be solved effectively and on time.

 

Our group’s main objective of this project is design a marketing plan for Luna 3. Before starting work, our group designed a survey to find out more information about consumer’s views about FOREO and Luna 3. Our survey includes main aspects of consumers’ intention to purchase and their condition. Through designing the survey, I learned that marketing strategy should be connected to the truth. Consumer survey is a good tool which helped us to get a preliminary understanding about our target audience and their conditions. After that, we collected and analysed the data and received many useful information. It laid the foundation for the following work.

 

The winning of this project couldn’t be done without everyone’s efforts. Our lecture gives us careful and patient guidance. Our group leader also did a lot by designing a very rational plan for our assignment which enabled us to have enough time for us to complete every link of our assignment well and carefully. Finally, I greatly appreciate being able to do this assignment which helped us practice the knowledge that we have learned with practical work. 

 

 

Wong Chee Kean, Bachelor of Business (Hons) Digital Marketing and Analytics

"The most important thing we gained is the knowledge in this task."

 

The overall progress of the FOREO project was quite successful. It was lucky that we manage to grab this opportunity to conduct the FOREO project. I was satisfied with the overall group work as we did our best to provide all the information to FOREO. Though, we only manage to win 2nd place in this project, the most important thing we gained is the knowledge in this task. Thus, this project helps me to understand how we should conduct a proper presentation to such company like FOREO. Initially, it triggers us on how to work efficiently as a team to perform the task that's assigned. Lastly, it was a great pleasure for our group to have this chance to conduct the overall process with FOREO. 

MKT60204 Consumer Behaviour, Third Winner

Stephanie Priscilla Liem, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

"The collaboration with a real company has allowed me to have a better understanding."

 

Consumer Behavior in collaboration with FOREO was an incredible and unique project to begin with because it allowed us to conduct real-world market research and make appropriate recommendations. The collaboration with a real company has allowed me to have a better understanding of how to use the theories I've learned and put them into practice. I'm glad for this opportunity, to be one of the winners, and for Dr. Hong's guidance and feedback. I'd recommend to provide FOREO's comments about our presentations to the students for future improvement.

 

 

Rica Hiew Sheng Mei, Bachelor of Science (Food Science)

 

This project has helped me to understand Consumer Behaviour better from the Marketing perspective and also know about FOREO products that I've never heard before. I feel very grateful for my groupmates that were able to work together and achieve success as a team. I really appreciate that I had this chance to participate in this project and collaborate with amazing friends.

 

 

Brenda Ng Li Peng, Bachelor of Science (Food Science)

 

We didn't know each other at first so I didn't know if we would do well in the assignment. Despite that, we actually managed to distribute the work well and everyone worked together to finish the assignment. It has been a fun experience for me and I like my groupmates.

From left to right: Esther Sing Jie Xin, Dr Hong Kay Tze

Esther Sing Jie Xin, Bachelor of International Hospitality Management (Hons)

 

Overall, I think that this project was quite fun and interesting. It was my first time helping and providing marketing strategies to a real company! One feedback I'd give is that FOREO could share with us how they chose the winners and to share their feedback on our presentation as well to give us a better understanding on what they’re looking for so we can improve on future projects. It'd also be great if we could view the other groups’ presentations so we could learn from them as well. However, I feel really happy that my group was one of the winners and that our teamwork and hard work paid off. I also feel really grateful to Dr. Hong and FOREO for giving us this fun and interesting opportunity.

 

 

Lee Yi May, Bachelor of Science (Food Science)

 

The thing that was good was that every group member produced very good quality work for the assianment. Similar values between our group members helped us to work together where we were efficient and responsible when doing our assigned parts ensuring that we could submit our assianment on time.

 

This made me feel proud and glad that my group members are trustworthy and can be relied upon. During meeting discussions, I was quite delighted because each of us took responsibility to discuss each outline together as a team to ensure everyone understood the objectives carefully. Working in a group also made me learn better as we shared ideas to further our knowledge.

 

 

Aidy Patria, Bachelor of International Business and Marketing (Hons)

 

Consumer Behavior was a challenging task for me because the due date is nearly identical to that of another subject.  Although I'd initially worried about the project's quality, everyone's willingness to meet occasionally to assess the work ensured that the assignment was finished on time and according to the rubrics. Our group was told during marking week that we'd been picked as the top 5 group! Our group had no idea we'd be chosen as the top 5. The top five groups would need to continue working on the FOREO corporate project and show it to the firm via a video. After about one to two weeks, Ms. Hong informed us that our group had been awarded third place. Our crew was overjoyed and certain that their efforts will not go unappreciated.

MKT70204 Social Commerce and Digital Marketing, Third Winner

Liu Youhan, Master of Business Administration (MBA)

"Compared to the marketing strategy of many well-known brands where they're focused on inviting more famous stars, FOREO's marketing model is worth learning from."

 

As the first company to apply medical silica gel and self-developed t-sonic vibration technology to facial cleaning equipment, FOREO knows that in order to popularise complex technical concepts such as micro shock, sound wave, and dermis epidermis to consumers, it cannot be solved by advertising and star IP alone. Therefore, FOREO abandoned the traditional marketing means and successfully realised consumer education by taking the road of consumer experience, evaluation, and recommendation.

 

This direct and in-depth contact with consumers comes from the initial stage of brand establishment. Due to the lack of funds for advertising and marketing, FOREO adopted the strategy of consumer crowdfunding. Unlike the traditional publicity activities on crowdfunding platforms, which takes seeking funds as the primary goal, FOREO sees this as a good opportunity to spend time with consumers, collect important feedback before launching products, and learn how to improve product scope and communication mode. Therefore, this initially helpless move became their trump card of its business model. Subsequently, they continue to grow through word-of-mouth and successfully turn their customers into brand ambassadors.

 

Compared to the marketing strategy with many well-known brands where they're focused on inviting more famous stars, FOREO's marketing model is worth learning from. 

 

 

Zhang Yu, Master of Business Administration (MBA)

 

FOREO successfully captured the bonus of social media, which is in line with the aesthetics of young people and promotes word-of-mouth communication. In the era when communication traffic and sales channels are reconstructed by the Internet, the social media platforms gathered by young people has become an important battlefield for word-of-mouth communication.

 

Philip said: "The progress of social media makes people more willing to share good things in the circle of friends. If customers like to use FOREO products, they'll recommend them to friends and family." Luna has also specially set the attributes in line with the communication of social networks in its design, such as the color matching and smooth lines of makaron series, in line with the aesthetic standards of today's young people. It's precisely because of these characteristics that Luna is called a beauty device 'born for instagram'. 

From left to right: Dr Goh See Kwong, Ong Theng Han, Momoka Kuramochi, Dr Khoo Kim Leng

Liao Jingming, Master of Business Administration (MBA)

 

I'm very glad that I chose SCDM among the elective courses of this semester and chose my preference. In this course, to be honest, my vision was broadened a lot. I also learned a lot about how to do digital marketing well and the problems that may be encountered in the process of digital marketing.

 

Through the analysis of the team, I also know the challenges that FOREO encountered: insufficient product localisation, online and offline price unification, and the Luna product awareness being greater than brand awareness. Through the guidance of our teacher, I also have a better understanding of digital marketing and social commerce. This programmeis closely related to our life and can bring profit opportunities to individuals, a brand, or a company through social software and digital marketing. Of course, when digital marketing is not done right, it can also have a negative impact on the brand or company. 

 

 

Tian Siyuan, Master of Business Administration (MBA)

"After this study, I'll look for new marketing methods in my future work, though it may still pose a challenge for me now."

 

This course is my favorite because it's relevant to what I do. Dr. Kim is also my favorite professor. She is not only very earnest in teaching, but also very approachable. During the study, I was deeply impressed by the fact that e-marketing also includes email marketing. I was shocked that some brands would actually email customers about new products as I've never received an email like this. But later I realised that this is the difference between Chinese and foreign cultures. In China, email is usually used only for business. This opened my eyes to find out that there are many ways to do digital marketing but it's also easy to get caught up in existing marketing models.

 

As a marketer for luxury brands, I've always liked to hold pop-up events with various events. Invite bloggers to the scene to promote the brand, take beautiful photos, then post them on social media platforms. Although the theme of each event is different, the method and process are the same. After this study, I'll look for new marketing methods in my future work, though it may still pose a challenge for me now. Of course, this course helped my beauty shop's publicity strategy even more. I began to shift the publicity of beauty shop from traditional offline marketing to online marketing. It's really great to put what you've learned into practice!

 

When doing the group work, our group browsed various social platforms and shopping platforms. FOREO has tried a lot of digital marketing yet there's a problem that I think plagues not only FOREO but other brands as well. How do you make yourself memorable? Being remembered means not only catching someone's attention, but also entering their subconscious which pose another challenge for me. However, through the study of this course, I've a more systematic understanding of the methods and logic of social commerce and digital marketing. It's like playing dominoes, one by one, and you always get to the finish line.

 

I'm very glad that I chose this course, had the opportunity to meet such an excellent professor, and learn something so interesting and useful! I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my dear professor Dr. Kim!

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