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Caroline Pieper-Vogt
Senior Vice President of Group Business Development
Clarins USA
Sharing in the commitment to "take beauty seriously," as laid out by Clarins Group founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins in 1954, Clarins USA is committed to offering a range of plant-based skin care products known for their innovation and effectiveness. To bring the right products to market and communicate their value to beauty consumers, Clarins USA Senior Vice President of Group Business Development Caroline Pieper-Vogt has always relied on market information and insight from NPD. She recently shared her perspective on the value of NPD’s information and what it helps her business accomplish.
NPD Insights: From your perspective, what have been the greatest benefits of using NPD market information?
Caroline Pieper-Vogt: One of our primary uses of NPD data is to understand trends in the beauty business. That helps us determine which categories we should pursue, where the industry is going, and where our best opportunities may be. We also use it to evaluate our brand performance and understand where we fit into the marketplace. It’s comprehensive information that gives us a very good overview of the industry in total.
NPD Insights: What business challenges has NPD market information helped your company resolve?
Caroline Pieper-Vogt: Clarins is committed to its focus on facial skincare. Our NPD information told us "age specialists" were growing, and that building our offerings in this segment of the market could be an opportunity for us. The data allowed us to emphasize our efforts and overcome challenges to find success in this emerging category. The data also told us the sun and self-tanning category was declining – seeing the numbers in black and white validated our decision not to focus as many of our resources there.
NPD Insights: In what ways has NPD information been valuable to your business decision-making?
Caroline Pieper-Vogt: The data is most valuable to us when we look at areas of opportunity – the blind spots where our competitors may not be playing. Two examples are gaps that we identified in the areas of brightening and high protection. At the time there was an absence of data available on the brightening category, which led us to explore the potential further and ultimately launch our innovative Bright Plus line, which has been a growing part of our business ever since. With regard to products with a high SPF, we discovered a wide-open market and established a plan to use that to our advantage.
NPD Insights: How is NPD information used across Clarins USA?
Caroline Pieper-Vogt: It’s used across the board here. Our CEO refers to it, senior vice presidents use it – and whenever NPD has a presence at our offices, my colleagues in Sales and Advertising always attend. I have used NPD’s data and expertise throughout my 12 years at Clarins USA, in Business Development, Marketing, and Education. We’re always eager to know when our NPD reports will be released so we can see the numbers.
NPD Insights: What would you say to other companies considering NPD’s market information services?
Caroline Pieper-Vogt: NPD information is a critical business tool. It’s a must-have in the beauty industry today. If you’re interested in the betterment of your company, it is essential. It can give you the power to make effective decisions and put your money in the right place.
NPD Insights: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experiences with The NPD Group?
Caroline Pieper-Vogt: NPD is incredibly receptive to client requests, and very quick to respond to our needs. They understand their own business and want to understand everything about ours. Partnership, relationships, expertise, responsiveness – these are all qualities I have appreciated in NPD.
To learn more about what NPD market information and insights can do for your business contact Charles Camaroto at 866-444-1411 contactnpd@npd.com.