No matter your age, race, gender or creed, one thing we can all agree on is the need to look after your skin to reduce sun damage and premature ageing. While there are 100s of different skincare brands on the market, finding a brand that uses ethically sourced ingredients, works for your skin type and doesn’t break the bank can be challenging.
Ann-Kathirn Joos realised she was not alone in her belief that good quality skincare products should be accessible to everyone. As an entrepreneur at heart, she took the initiative and developed her own skincare brand, Standard Beauty, making sure it was nicely packaged, inclusive and made from locally sourced ingredients.
“I was born and raised in Germany and lived in different parts of the world after leaving home. I moved to South Africa in 2018 and founded a business that failed to take off. Rather than being despondent about the failed business, I dusted myself off, picked myself up and tried again – thus, Standard Beauty was born,” said Ann-Kathrin.
“I had noticed the trend in skincare and the hype around skincare brands based overseas, and then had the idea of creating high-quality skincare products that are affordable and accessible to everyone who is interested in skincare – rather than the elite few who are able to afford expensive skincare products. South Africa has so many amazing resources in terms of raw materials and a talent pool of people looking for a job. I envisioned a clean, affordable and inclusive brand which created jobs in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world,” continued Ann-Kathrin.
An online business born out of lockdown
Despite the grey cloud of economic uncertainty that lockdown cast over South Africa and the world at large, Ann-Kathrin was able to turn it to her advantage like so many other entrepreneurs who moved their businesses online. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers were intent on socially distancing and shopping conveniently and safely online.
“I recognised the change in people’s spending habits (we all had to tighten our shopping budget) and I had a fear of failure because of that. But it proved not to be as big a concern as I’d anticipated because the demand was there despite what was happening. The lockdown has proven to be a blessing in disguise for online shopping; whereas prior to the pandemic consumers were rarely shopping online, ecommerce has skyrocketed during lockdown and still experiences steady growth,” said Ann-Kathrin.
Due to the high demand for their skincare products, 12 months after launching Standard Beauty the business evolved from being a kitchen project to having its own large-scale factory and in-house R&D Laboratory.
“We are now 16 women and still growing rapidly. It’s now a well-known brand in South Africa and the next goal is to move up into the rest of Africa. I’m so thrilled at how far we’ve come, and I look forward to seeing what else the journey has in store for us!” said Ann-Kathrin.
Choosing the right payment gateway from the start
When launching the Standard Beauty online store, Ann-Kathrin chose to partner with PayFast as her online store’s payment gateway because of how easy and quick it was to sign up online and start getting paid.
“PayFast was with us from the very beginning, from the very first sale and I wouldn’t change that for a thing! I chose PayFast because it was suggested as the best payment platform compatible with our online store and its reviews were impeccable. The platform was very easy to navigate as a first-time user and the services received are always very friendly, efficient and helpful,” said Ann-Kathrin.
Black Friday can attract new loyal customers
With Black Friday right around the corner, Ann-Kathrin and her team are already preparing for the popular shopping holiday and expect good returns. Standard Beauty has taken part in Black Friday – or as they refer to it as “Pink Friyay” to align with their brand – twice before and have some good advice for other online stores wanting to take part.
“Black Friday is a way of gaining new customers that have previously been on the fence about buying your brand. If your product is great, they will eventually turn into long-term customers. A lot of our clients first discovered or bought from us during Black Friday and are now long-standing “standard babes”, so participating in the Black Friday hype is absolutely worth it,” said Ann-Kathrin.
“The only struggle for small businesses might be to raise the funds for the inventory as you want to stock up double, triple or even much more than that to be able to service the demand,” continued Ann-Kathrin.
Based on Ann-Kathrin’s experience with Standard Beauty, here are her tips for other online stores wanting to participate in Black Friday:
- Always plan ahead – start stocking up inventory at least 3 months prior.
- Build your email list and social media following.
- Pack boxes and get as much of the early prep done beforehand. This can be extremely helpful and it’s an effective way to alleviate stress when the sales come flooding in.
- Have your whole team help with customer service and with packing orders.
- If you’re a small business, ask your friends to help.
“During our very first Black Friday I was still on my own and it was very overwhelming. We ran out of everything, so I had to re-produce, packed orders until almost 10 pm daily and got home and did customer service until the early morning hours, slept a couple of hours and did it all over again. So, I recommend for small business owners to get a friend to help you out during that week, you won’t regret it!” concluded Ann-Kathrin.
For more advice on getting your online store ready for Black Friday, check out Chapter 7 of the PayFast Guide to Going Online.
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