The Reason Behind Our Sales Increases

As online sales soar, Merle Norman continues to deliver on our promises

The global pandemic changed everything overnight. It changed consumer behavior, elevated our standards for cleanliness, and it also changed the way businesses were allowed to operate.

Rather than wait for the economy to return to normal, the leadership of Merle Norman launched several new initiatives during the pandemic to help drive sales and profitability for our franchise owners.

In early spring of 2020, just as the lockdown was at its peak across the country, Merle Norman launched a new line of hand sanitizer. At the time, hand sanitizer was hard to come by, and by being able to jump in and create a much-needed product incredibly quickly, Merle Norman was able to play a crucial role in keeping our customers safe and provide a highly demanded product for our franchise owners to sell.

Merle Norman cosmetics Interior / increased online sales

LATF USA published an article highlighting the importance of this action, entitled, “The Beauty Industry Gives Back,” which compared our founder’s sacrifice during WWII to today:

“When is a cosmetics company considered more than just makeup?” the publication asks. “When history illustrates that a brand has consistently stepped up to help the administration and citizens of the United States of America. Merle Norman Cosmetics was founded by Merle Nethercutt Norman during the Great Depression in 1931. In WWII, Merle Norman was called to duty to manufacture machine gun oil and camouflage sticks. She was proud to help her fellow Americans and soldiers on the front line. 2020 is no different.”

How does the e-commerce store contribute to driving sales and profitability for franchise owners?

Merle Norman had always been an in-person experience – but the lockdowns changed that, too. In 2019, Merle Norman had launched an e-commerce store to sell the Merle Norman product line to our customers, anytime and anywhere. Franchise owners benefit from these increased online sales as well, as the platform encourages our online shoppers to choose their local Merle Norman franchise stores to shop from.

This ability to have a profitable revenue stream allowed our franchise owners to recover far more swiftly. Online sales soared throughout the height of the crisis, and even now, as things have begun to get back to normal, increased online sales still account for a growing number of our franchise owners’ overall sales.

iconic cosmetics franchise / increased online sales

Why do people love our products, and what is it about them that makes them effective?

The real reason why Merle Norman has swiftly recovered from the crisis and continues to experience strong sales is that people love our products.

Especially in times of crisis, people want to pamper themselves. Economists have dubbed this “The Lipstick Effect.” When the going gets tough, people will forgo vacations or dining out, and instead, they will focus their luxury spending on smaller items like lipstick.

Merle Norman is no stranger to this phenomenon. Founded in the Great Recession, we’ve experienced countless economic ups and downs, and every time, we’ve emerged a stronger brand because our award-winning product line of skincare and cosmetics delivers the results our customers want.

When you have products that live up to their promises, a convenient way to shop for them, and franchise owners that are meaningfully engaged in their communities, you have a business model that you can believe in. There are 90 years of proof behind you.

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