The art and science of online shopping

The metallic matte lipstick I was looking for, for instance, has gone through a couple of iterations. PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH

What you need to know:

  • Who has not seen the memes on online shopping - what you order versus what you get.
  • I have to know if a product is worth waiting for the doorbell to ring. A lot of the times this means chatting with the online store before buying either through their platform or by calling them.
  • The challenge with our online stores is the absence of reviews. It would be a good idea to encourage feedback.

For the past few months, I have been on the hunt for metallic matte lipstick. None of the stores have anything even remotely close. Meanwhile, I learnt how to make my own brand of metallic with shimmery eye shadow.

In the process of my research for alternatives not available to us mortal Kenyans, because we are on the wrong side of the beauty divide, I also found out there is edible glitter, shimmer, sparkle and stuff that would create what my beauty instincts desired and could not find.

When it comes to things fashion, hair, beauty, skin care and colour cosmetics, it takes about two years at the very least before they trickle down to our market. The alternative, online shopping. This is done via Instagram stores, Amazon, Jumia, Alibaba, sometimes OLX and, yes, we still ask relatives to bring some of the goodies when they come over for Christmas.

For anyone who is an early adopter, trendsetter or ahead of the curve, it is near impossible to get the entire collection of stuff like Fenty Beauty, NYX, Milani, experience the joy of cult skin care brands like SkinCeuticals, Drunk Elephant, The Ordinary or Mario Badescu, hair extensions made popular by YouTubers such as Free Tress or even, say, that gorgeous stunning OnePlus 6 Red or even what the market considers the best nail extensions and products from Kiss. For such, you would have to go online. Or find a niche supplier by word of mouth.

This is where I learnt to shop via online reviews. Amazon, especially, has a breakdown of practically every product on the planet. Hundreds of shoppers who give greatly conflicting opinions that make your head spin. Or, you could watch YouTube videos which, I have to warn you, need to be recent.

The metallic matte lipstick I was looking for, for instance, has gone through a couple of iterations. The names have changed and so has the packaging from rectangular bottles to rounded ones. And, you have to double check if it is the same formulation that was reviewed in 2015, 2016 and end of 2017, a limited edition, a rebrand or even new management. It certainly happens often enough with fragrances that the online reviewers are very particular about such details.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Let’s get real. Who has not seen the memes on online shopping - what you order versus what you get. With more of us shopping sight unseen, the only thing between what we want and what we get can sometimes be nothing more than lighting. I’m constantly crossing my fingers when I see something I want online. But I have also learnt not to take anything at face value. And I am not even talking delivery or refund policies.

Maybe it’s my inner researcher, but I have to know if a product is worth waiting for the doorbell to ring. A lot of the times this means chatting with the online store before buying either through their platform or by calling them.

The challenge with our online stores is the absence of reviews. I am not sure if Kenyans simply do not take this seriously enough, or once something has been delivered, that is pretty much it for us, but it would be a good idea to encourage feedback.

Rather than saving it for an online troll or a personal conversation with 100 people, it would help if we corresponded with these stores. At the very least, it would enhance the process. And, it would certainly help expand stock.

We don’t have to be mean, as readily enticing as that seems to be, but we could look at other online platforms and engage. How else would brands know about the performance of their stuff in the market? Paying for a product is one thing to add to the knowledge, but so would the experience of the product.

I have had the pleasure to meet and speak with a few online suppliers. They get products based on what is trending, and we know what is trending because of reviews, largely posted and shared across online platforms from Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Pixi for instance is quite a seller, which is interesting to me because so many Kenyan women were never really sure about the benefits of toning, but this, as they say beauty speak, has a cult following.

Stunna, the true red liquid lipstick, and Trophy Wife, both by Fenty Beauty, are iconic. Flyliner, a felt tip deep dark eyeliner, is the latest “must have” beauty product, also by Fenty. It is more of an undercurrent, but our online shopping habits tell a story. And that story is best written by the buyers. In the comment section.