Can Ya-man Disrupt China’s At-Home Beauty Device Market?

Overview Ya-man, a high-end Japanese beauty device brand with prices averaging 400 (RMB 3,000), recently launched a branding campaign in partnership with Chinese media production house XinShiXiang. The five-minute short video under the theme of “Beauty With Various Definitions” featured brand ambassador Yu Feihong, KOL Qian Hui, and dermatology expert Dr. Li Jialun. They explained their respective understanding of beauty and encouraged viewers to explore the diversity of beauty. Netizens’ Reaction The campaign video attracted over 13 million views on Weibo within one week thanks to Yu Feihong’s endorsement. Ya-man alsol created a Weibo campaign hashtag encouraging users to share their ideas on what defines beauty, which drove 81 million views as of publication. Though promoting diversity and inclusion is nothing new in the beauty and fashion market, it marks a huge step for beauty device brands. Typically, players in this sector put more effort into sales-driven marketing tactics in China, such as highlighting the functions and effectiveness of their products. Ya-man is among the first to invest in consolidating its brand culture and conveying its values to local beauty enthusiasts. Verdict China has seen a surge of beauty gadgets with technologies like ultrasonic, magnetic misting, and LED. In fact, the size of China's at-home beauty device market reached 1.38 billion (10 billion RMB) in 2021, according to research firm Qianzhan. This growth has not only been driven by evolving technologies but also consumers’ increasing awareness and demand for these products since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the era of the "beauty economy," Chinese consumers are willing to pay for their appearance. Based on a survey about home-use beauty devices, the average spending on skincare per quarter is 138 (1,000 RMB), and 14 percent of respondents said they spend more than 415 (3,000 RMB) on these gadgets each quarter. In particular, middle-aged people have a greater willingness to invest in products with anti-aging effects. Given this ever-growing demand for self-care among local shoppers, Ya-man has maintained a leading position in the market. In the beauty device category, the brand ranked first in sales on Tmall and JD.com for six consecutive years and four consecutive years, respectively, during the annual Double-11 Festival. Still, competition is fierce as more homegrown names like Flossom and Amiro emerge. As such, in addition to collaborating with KOLs and KOCs to educate consumers about the functions of various products, communicating brand values is critical for creating differentiation.

Can Ya-man Disrupt China’s At-Home Beauty Device Market?

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Published October 22, 2022

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Can Ya-man Disrupt China’s At-Home Beauty Device Market?