MKTG 183 Glossier Final Paper
MKTG 183 Glossier Final Paper
MKTG 183 Glossier Final Paper
Marketing Strategies
MKTG 183
Professor Munson
Table of Contents 1
I. Executive Summary 2
II. Introduction 4
III. Consumer Decision Making Process 5
IV. Research Objectives 11
V. Methodology 13
VI. Major Recommendations and Implementation 14
VII. Appendix 17
VIII. Sources 28
1
I. Executive Summary
Within problem recognition, Glossier successfully sets themself apart from competition
while providing unique industry solutions. The first strategy we analyzed was their emphasis on
natural beauty. Glossier continually uses real people with varying skin conditions and skin tones
to show the diversity of beauty. As this resonates with many customers, we recommend
continuing this diversity as they build more physical stores. Thus, our first future marketing
strategy is to hire a diverse range of employees to work in-store that mimics their online
marketing. We additionally touched on the strong community Glossier has built via social media
and how that builds brand loyalty. Glossier successfully incorporates consumer wants and
reviews into their products by using their blog and Instagram. Our next strategy is to to focus on
building out other social media channels to increase consumer engagement and to further create
products in-line with consumer preferences. The last aspect we evaluated was the cosmetic
industry’s high pricing, an active consumer problem. Through our survey we found almost 95%
consumers. Thus, our first future marketing strategy is to implement details on pricing into
We also looked at information search, and Glossiers current marketing strategies within
this category. The first strategy we analyzed was their social media presence. Glossier has a huge
social media presence, especially on Instagram. Glossier's target market is millennials, so using
social media to market their brand is very beneficial. Glossier does a great job at this, posting at
least once a day on their instagram. They have ambassadors who promote their product, and
consumers are encouraged to post for a chance to be featured. Our future marketing strategy is to
continue with the strong presence on social media, but also to do more unique events like going
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on live with Ambassadors to be able to connect even more with consumers. The next strategy
that was analyzed is Glossiers interactive content. Engaging content keeps consumers (new or
old) connected with Glossier. Glossier has an option on their website to take a skin routine quiz,
giving suggestions to which products would work best for the specific consumer. Glossier also
has an option on their website to see multiple different women with different skin tones and
types, so a consumer can imagine which product/ shade would fit best with their skin, and a
section where you can see looks in real life. My recommended marketing strategy would be to
put a new tab on the website so consumers can clearly see these looks in real life, and are able to
“try on” the product virtually. Lastly, we analyzed their reviews. Their reviews are very
accessible, which allows consumers to understand how other consumers liked the product and
gain more insightful information. 92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family
more than they do advertising, and our Survey showed that consumers fully trust their families
and friends. I suggest that Glossier creates a campaign where consumers can talk freely with one
another, on a different platform than instagram, and ask each other questions about their
experiences.
Lastly, we looked at how Glossier can improve the alternative evaluation stage of the
consumer decision making process. We recommend that Glossier move the entire brand or select
product lines into retail stores, such as Sephora, Ulta, or cosmetic sections of department stores.
First, we looked at how Glossier measures and understands how customers use evaluative criteria
for cosmetic products. It is important that Glossier accurately highlights product and brand
attributes that align with those that customers regard with high priority. Glossier can market
these attributes on in-store product displays and posters that would easily grab customer
attention. We also looked at the concept of how Glossier can use surrogate indicators for quality.
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People often associate high price with high quality, so for Glossier, it may be difficult to
promoting the idea that natural looks and wearing makeup are not mutually exclusive, Glossier
can use clear skin as a surrogate indicator of makeup quality. By using a series of advertisements
and products denoted with “Dermatologist Recommended” labels, Glossier products will stand
out amongst competitors. The final concept that we analyzed, which explains why it would be
beneficial for Glossier to move into retail stores, is the consideration of metagoals. For
customers with low purchase involvement who want to engage in little external search for
products and product alternatives, product availability in stores will make purchases more
II. Introduction
Glossier was founded in 2014 on the belief that beauty is built through community.
Unlike its competitors Glossier first started as a blog, collecting consumer insight, feedback, and
preferences to create products in-line with their wants and needs. A customer-centric view has
allowed Glossier to build a vast online community unlike anything in the makeup industry. After
six years, the company was already valued at $1.2 billion and amassed an Instagram following of
over 1.6 million. Glossier, popular amongst millennials and younger demographics, takes the
approach of “skin first, makeup second,” to create an inclusive and democratized standard of
beauty. The company sells both skincare products, like face wash and lotion, and makeup
products for your face and eyes, as well as fragrances. Their makeup is typically lightweight in
feel and very minimal as to enhance the customer’s natural features. Glossier is sold primarily
online through their website, however they have two flagship stores in New York City and Los
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Angeles. By cutting out middlemen retailers, Glossier is able to offer lower prices than high-end
makeup and skincare brands, but superior quality than drug store makeup and skincare brands.
As a primarily digital company, Glossier uses social media heavily for advertisement and
receives a ton of free marketing as consumers engage with the company via social media.
Overall, Glossier has redefined the beauty industry in their disruptive and innovative digital
approach. Additionally, they have changed the way consumers define beauty while creating an
Problem Recognition
Unlike many of its competitors, Glossier’s approach to cosmetics is “skin first, makeup
second.” This distinction challenges the industry’s belief that beauty is standardized by
producing lightweight, clean products that enhance one’s natural features. Glossier consistently
uses real people in their advertisements to convey this position, celebrating diversity instead of
uniformity. Through this strategy Glossier targets the inactive consumer problem of social
acceptance and confidence derived from wearing heavy makeup. In turn this influences the
consumer’s desired state to feel beautiful in their own skin. Glossier additionally uses a diverse
range of people in their ads: men and women of all nationalities with varying skin conditions.
While Glossier successfully markets the desired end result, minimal makeup and clean skin, their
current strategies fail to advertise how this is achieved. Glossier uses clean, natural ingredients in
their products to support healthy skin, however this is hardly if ever mentioned in their ads. In
future advertising, we recommend a small statement in each ad validating the simplicity and
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The second problem Glossier tackles is leveraging social media to interact with
consumers. Company founder Emily Weiss explained, “the beauty industry wants to keep the
power in the hands of the brands and not the customer” and do so by minimizing the consumer
voice, making them feel like cosmetic novices (Maras, 2018). Conversely, Glossier seeks to learn
from its consumers by interacting with them through social media. For example they leveraged
their blog Into the Gloss for product analysis when sourcing their moisturizer to understand
consumer preference between a jar or pump. They received over 300 comments and ultimately
changed their initial decision of using a jar based on the feedback. Additionally, Glossier
promotes consumer reviews through their social media, effectively increasing their positive
word-of-mouth reputation. In our survey we found that consumers place higher value on
recommendations and reviews from friends and family than salespeople. Thus, Glossier’s
promotion of consumer reviews builds trust and brand loyalty. In future marketing strategies,
Glossier should branch out to other social media sites like Twitter and YouTube to increase
The third problem Glossier targets is providing affordable pricing. Typically, a higher
price denotes high quality, however it shrinks a company’s target market. As this directly
conflicts with Glossier’s mission towards inclusivity, they position themselves in between
high-end and drugstore cosmetics. According to Rakuten Intelligence, Glossier’s average price is
somewhere between $12 and $30 and according to our survey, most customers are willing to
spend only $25 or less on most makeup items. Additionally, consumers typically only spend
$173 yearly at Glossier, but when shopping at other cosmetic companies the number increased to
$233 (Miyahira, 2019). Despite having lower prices, consumers may not be aware of this fact
unless on Glossier’s website. Another way in which Glossier implements its low price strategy is
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through marketing bundles where consumers can buy a set of products for a collectively lower
price than their individual markups. In their future marketing endeavours, Glossier should
incorporate pricing into their ads to initiate selective problem recognition amongst consumers.
As consumers place high importance on price, this information could lead to increased purchases
Information Search
Information search involves mental as well as physical activities that consumers must
perform that take time, energy, and money. The extension of search depends on the consumer's
purchase involvement, which is a major determinant of the type of decision process consumers
engage in. When a consumer is looking into products, they will ask themselves “what features do
I want?” or “which product will fit my needs the most?” External search tends to dominate in
extended decision making, and consumers will tend to gather information about each brand and
When it comes to skincare products and makeup, it is hard to trust and buy online
because you have no idea how it will make your skin feel or if it will fit with you. As a skin
brand like Glossier, they have to position themselves in a way where they can encourage
consumers to buy their products over others. Glossier's information search is very strong, and
they give a multitude of ways to understand their products, and have the consumers picture
The first key concept that relates to Information Search is their social media presence.
Having a strong social media presence is very important to Glossier because it is the most
popular brand among American millennials, and millennials use social media heavily. The
current marketing strategies Glossier uses is being very active on instagram. They post at least
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once a day, either promoting a new product, showing ambassadors use their products, or
engaging with their followers for feedback. They have a strong following on instagram, and
people are encouraged to post and use their hashtags to have a chance to be featured on their
page. In order to maintain this current marketing strategy, I recommend that they use instagram
live to talk with ambassadors and answer questions more personally. This will help consumers
interactive content. They have a multitude of engaging interactive aspects to their brand. For
example, on their website they offer a skin routine quiz, where they assess what products would
work best for the specific consumer. Also, when browsing through the products on Glossier’s
website, you are able to see different models for each shade of the product. Each shade shows
women from an array of skin tones/ skin types. This helps consumers get a better understanding
of what they are looking for. They also have a part on the website called “Looks IRL” (in real
life), which links to ambassadors and customers with the makeup on. This is important to
information search, because it provides so many different aspects into buying a product. One
suggestion would be to put a tab on their website called Looks IRL so it is more accessible and
easier to find.
The last aspect/ key concept relating to Glossier and information search is their reviews.
Word of mouth is very important for recommendations of a product. Consumers trust their
friends and family with the boat. 92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family
more than they do advertising. Our survey showed that consumers fully trust their families and
friends, and then secondly influencers. Because of Glossiers ambassador program, people are
able to relate and see real people promoting their product. This strengthens the brand identity.
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Their marketing strategies are very effective, and promote the product in a way that consumers
can have connections to the brand. They show reviews on their website for each of their products
but I recommend that they should create a platform where consumers can talk with one another
to talk about their experiences. Consumers receive homeostasis utility when restoring
Alternative Evaluation
During alternative evaluation, also known as consumer choice, consumers can have a
difficult time making decisions and experience choice overload if presented with an abundance
of alternatives. It is important that marketers understand the products in their target market’s
evoked set and learn how to make their product stand out as the best choice. This is an
especially important task for Glossier because it is an online brand, and consumers are exposed
to a variety of alternatives.
Glossier must first measure and understand how customers use evaluative criteria related
to makeup and skincare products. These criteria and the importance that customers place on
them affect which brands consumers will select for purchase. So, it is important that Glossier
asks consumers and understands which criteria they use when purchasing makeup and skincare
products. With this understanding, the company can develop and communicate the appropriate
brand features that align with their products and the attributes that customers desire.
Finding out the importance that consumers place upon certain product attributes can be
difficult, but Glossier currency uses direct methods to learn some of this information. The blog,
“Into the Gloss,” is a two-way communication channel for editors and readers to share their
opinions about products and provide feedback. Glossier also has extensive review sections under
each product, where customers can rate likes and dislikes. The company should continue to
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implement these current marketing strategies but also has the opportunity to create more online
forums for conversation and feedback. Glossier can create an app dedicated to both shopping
To help customers in the alternative evaluation stage, Glossier should also use/continue
using unique surrogate indicators for quality. Consumers typically desire more functional
attributes in products, such as cost and quality. So, Glossier must use one of their unique product
attributes that is indicative of quality, since they do not have high prices (a typical indicator of
high quality) or physical representation in stores. It can be difficult for marketers to promote two
variables that customers believe to be mutually exclusive. Glossier promotes the idea that
natural looks/clear skin is not mutually exclusive with wearing makeup. To market the idea that
these two variables can actually go together, Glossier uses normal, everyday women as models
for their products, rather than models who consumers may associate with photo-shop and plastic
surgery. Glossier should continue with this method of product advertising and campaigning, but
they can further extend their efforts to make clear skin seem possible while wearing makeup.
Campaigns can heavily advertise “Dermatologist Recommended” products, and Glossier can
work to get products featured on sites where people typically search for makeup products that are
safe for skin. This unique product feature may make customer’s decisions easier when choosing
Oftentimes, customers do not always have to find the “optimal brand” set as their main objective
when buying a product. Customers may be considering other factors, such as convenience, when
making a decision–especially when there is low purchase involvement. Some people purchasing
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makeup products want to engage in little external search and will choose whatever product
readily available that satisfies their need. Since Glossier is a digital brand, the company runs
product advertisements on social media and their website and depends on their referral program
to attract more customers. It would be beneficial for Glossier to make their entire brand, or
certain product lines, available in retail cosmetic stores, such as Sephora and Ulta. By doing this,
Glossier can also offer rewards for making purchases, such as a point system that works toward
earning free products or samples. Glossier will be in a much better position relative to
competition in the eyes of consumers who prefer shopping for makeup products in-store.
Problem Recognition
Objective: Determine whether certain age groups are more likely to purchase online
Ha: Age and preference for shopping online are not independent
Correlation Test
Objective: To determine what type of customer social media ads are targeting
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T-Test
Objective: Determine the most trustworthy source of information for cosmetic product
recommendations
Ho: uWFF-uWSP= 0, Women trust friends and salespeople equally for product recommendations
Ha: uWFF-uWSP=>, Women trust friends more for product recommendations than salespeople
Information Search
Objective: Determine whether certain age groups are more exposed to ads on social media
Correlation Test:
Objective: To determine the relationship between getting a recommendation from someone you
T-Test:
Ho: uWFF-uWSP=0, there is no significant difference between millennials and other generations in
terms of how many time they have shopped at Glossier
Ha: uWFF-uWSP=>, There is a significant difference between millennials and other generations in
terms of how many times they have shopped at Glossier
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Alternative Evaluation
Ho: the frequencies of shoppers whose most preferred cosmetic stores to shop from for makeup
Ha: the frequencies of shoppers whose most preferred cosmetic stores to shop from for makeup
Correlation Test
Objective: To determine if “lightweight” and “natural” are popular evaluative criteria for makeup
“natural”)
Ha: ρ > 0 (There is a positive relationship between perceived importance of being “lightweight”
and “natural.”)
T-Test:
V. Methodology
Each group member conducted a pilot sample of our survey on a college-aged woman.
The survey is not limited to this demographic and can be applicable to other groups of people.
The three surveyed women provided insight that helped us make some basic, very helpful,
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changes between drafts. One major change included moving our demographic questions to the
end of the survey to avoid boringness and because these answers were not our primary focus.
Using the feedback from Draft 1, we decided to provide clarification in the wording of
our questions. We were repeatedly using the term “cosmetics,” which could seem unclear to
some people answering the questions. In Draft 2, we split up questions that used the word
cosmetics into two questions, asking separately about “makeup products” and “skincare
products.” We also provided some parenthetical examples for each product type. For example,
makeup products include lip gloss, concealer, face/eye makeup, etc., and skin care products
include frequency of wearing makeup, frequency of product purchase, etc.. For Draft 2, we
changed our questions to include the word “about” (i.e. about how many times) to ensure more
accurate estimates.
Lastly, we adjusted our questions to use matrix and slider formats when necessary to
improve ease of answering certain questions and to avoid repetition. Our final survey Draft 3
has 33 questions and takes approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. The survey primarily
focuses on questions about online purchasing of both makeup and skincare products, features
that customers prioritize in these products, and familiarity with Glossier’s brand.
pricing into Glossier ads. In conducting the survey, we found that nearly 95% of survey
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respondents care about price over other attributes such as brand and coverage. We believe this
information would attract new customers via social media that may be otherwise timid of buying
makeup online. This marketing strategy heavily targets customers engaged in limited decision
This strategy further bodes well for millennials and younger demographics who tend to have less
disposable income and are more inclined to try out a product based on price. As Glossier heavily
targets younger demographics, we expect to see increased traffic on the company website after
these changes are implemented. Although low price can sometimes be associated with lower
quality in the cosmetic industry, Glossier is backed by millions of consumer reviews praising the
quality. Thus, placing a higher emphasis on price is unlikely to negatively impact consumer
The most significant recommended future marketing strategy that is most related to
information search would be to implement a new tab on their website. This tab would be called
“Looks IRL” or “Try it on.” This will let consumers know that they can test out their makeup
virtually. This tab will keep consumers on the Glossier website instead of searching for other
brands. Since buying cosmetics and beauty products online is risky for some consumers, this will
strengthen their confidence in ordering a product. To be able to see real life people using the
products, and picturing the product on themselves, the likelihood of purchase will be much
greater. Seeing others “IRL” enjoying the product, and being confident in the product will make
consumers want to feel the same way. Changing their website so this tab is at the forefront of the
website, will make it easier for consumers to click on it right away, instead of searching through
the website. Once again, it will prevent consumers from finding an alternative product.
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RFMS: Alternative Evaluation
The recommended future marketing strategy that is best associated with alternative
evaluation is for Glossier to move the entire brand or certain product lines into retail cosmetic
stores, such as Sephora and Ulta. While this transition from entirely digital to partially in-stores
would have cost implications, it also has the potential to attract new customers and retain
existing customers. When customers are considering a makeup or skincare purchase that is not
extremely significant, they are unlikely to research products and compare products extensively
online. In the same way, customers who make in-the-moment purchase decisions, such as
grabbing another product that appears attractive while shopping in Sephora, are also not
engaging in high-involvement purchases. These types of customers may have metagoals that
include convenience and simply satisfying a product need–not seeking out the best brand. If
Glossier has an in-store presence, customers may be attracted to the brand’s pastel color theme
and simple ad campaign photos. This may draw customers away from other brands with higher
or similar price-points that are inherently perceived as being high quality. Glossier will also have
the opportunity to present the brand as reliable by further implementing a rewards program,
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VII. Appendix
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1erLcf8zko70LUzwuRLivPMbQqZCkdSY2/view?usp=sharing
Glossier Survey
Start of Block: Glossier Survey Intro
This survey aims to examine consumer preferences when shopping for makeup and skin care products, as
well as consumer familiarity with the brand Glossier. Feel free to skip any question if you do not feel
comfortable answering. This survey should take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. Thank you for
your participation.
o In-store (1)
o Online (2)
Do you prefer shopping for makeup/skin care products in-store or online?
In-Store (1) Online (2)
Makeup (1) o o
Skin Care (2) o o
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How often do you shop for makeup/cosmetic products (i.e. lip gloss, concealer, face/eye makeup, etc.)?
o Weekly (1)
o Monthly (2)
o Multiple times a month (3)
o Yearly (4)
o A couple times a year (5)
()
How much do you trust the following people for skin care product recommendations (i.e. facial wash,
moisturizer, serum, etc.)?
Neither Trust
Do Not Trust Somewhat Mostly Trust
nor Distrust Fully Trust (5)
(1) Trust (2) (4)
(3)
Friends (1) o o o o o
Family (2) o o o o o
Salesperson
(3) o o o o o
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Influencers (4) o o o o o
How much do you trust the following people for cosmetic product recommendations (i.e. lip gloss,
concealer, face/eye makeup, etc.)?
Neither Trust
Do Not Trust Somewhat Mostly Trust
nor Distrust Fully Trust (5)
(1) Trust (2) (4)
(3)
Friends (1) o o o o o
Family (2) o o o o o
Salesperson
(3) o o o o o
Influencers (4) o o o o o
How likely are you to purchase a cosmetic product after receiving a recommendation from someone you
trust?
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How likely are you to purchase a skin care product after receiving a recommendation from someone you
trust?
If you were buying makeup for yourself, how important are each of the following characteristics to you?
Not important Slightly Moderately Very important Extremely
at all (1) important (2) important (3) (4) important (5)
Makeup looks
natural (1) o o o o o
Makeup is
lightweight (2) o o o o o
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About how many times per month do you shop for skincare products for yourself?
About how many times per month do you shop for skin care products for other people?
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About how many times per month do you shop for makeup products for other people?
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
()
Page Break
The next time you purchase makeup for yourself, what is your “intention to buy” from each of the
following?
Might or
Definitely Will Probably Will Probably Will Definitely Will
Might Not Buy
Not Buy (6) Not Buy (7) Buy (9) Buy (10)
(8)
Makeup from
social media
ad (1)
o o o o o
Makeup from
a cosmetic
store (2)
o o o o o
3 (3) o o o o o
0 1 2 3 4 5
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Face makeup ()
Eye makeup ()
Skin care ()
Page Break
Approximately how much money are you willing to spend on each of the following makeup products per
purchase for yourself?
A moderate
A little ($10 or A lot A great deal
None at all (1) amount
less) (6) ($26-$39) (4) ($40+) (5)
($11-$25) (3)
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Have you ever seen a Glossier ad on social media?
o Yes (1)
o No (2)
o Not sure (3)
If you have seen a Glossier ad on social media, what characteristic do you remember most about the ad?
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Price (1) o o o o o
Brand (2) o o o o o
Coverage (3) o o o o o
Next time you buy makeup what are your intentions to buy from the following brands:
Definitely will Probably will Probably will Definitely will
Might buy (3)
NOT buy (1) NOT buy (2) buy (4) buy (5)
Glossier (1) o o o o o
Milk Makeup
(2) o o o o o
How many times have you shopped at Glossier in the past year?
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Of the following 3 cosmetic stores, which one is your most preferred to shop at when buying cosmetics?
o Glossier (1)
o Milk makeup (2)
o Sephora (3)
o Ulta (4)
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What gender do you identify with?
o Female (1)
o Male (2)
o Other (3)
How old are you?
o <$15,000 (4)
o $15,001-$45,000 (5)
o $45,001-$90,000 (6)
o $90,001-$150,000 (7)
o >$150,000 (8)
What country and state (if applicable) do you reside in?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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About how many products are in your skin care routine?
________________________________________________________________
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VIII. Sources
Beauty Tips, Trends, And Product Reviews. Into The Gloss. (n.d.). https://intothegloss.com/.
blog.tokywoky.com/community-decoded-glossier.
www.retailcustomerexperience.com/articles/glossier-engaging-customers-by-spurring-int
eraction-communication/.
Miyahira, Amanda, and Arye Zucker. “Glossier's Success, Nothing to Gloss Over.” Rakuten
www.rakutenintelligence.com/blog/2018/glossiers-success-nothing-to-gloss-over
Ruff, Corinne. “Glossier's Customer Obsession Is about Stirring up Conversation.” Retail Dive,
21 Mar. 2018,
www.retaildive.com/news/glossiers-customer-obsession-is-about-stirring-up-conversation
/519604/.
Schiffer, Jessica. “How Glossier's GTeam Is Changing the Definition of Customer Service.”
digiday.com/marketing/glossiers-gteam-changing-definition-customer-service/.
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Wedderburn, Olivia. “The Glossier Effect - The Power of a Community Led Social & Digital
medium.com/@olivia.wedderburn/the-glossier-effect-the-power-of-a-community-led-soci
al-digital-strategy-204cd6b1e37c.
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