The Objective

Increasing interest and sales with engaging content

Irish Beauty Brand SoSu Cosmetics is the brainchild of influencer Suzanne Jackson. It's an ever-growing collection of cosmetics, tanning products and makeup accessories. Since its launch five years ago the company has enjoyed rapid growth. 

SoSu products are stocked by major retailers such as Pretty Little Thing, Boohoo, misguided, Primark and more across Ireland, the UK and Europe and boasts numerous high-profile celebrity fans. New product releases sell out online and in some retailers in minutes such is the range's appeal.

Working with marketing agency Wolfgang Digital they’ve been active on TikTok since the end of 2020 under the handle @sosucosmetics. Recently they've been looking at how to increase their online presence to address a key challenge. With such a crowded market, how can they capture the attention of a younger audience? How can they cut through the noise to place their products at their audiences’ fingertips? In essence, how can they shorten the gap from awareness to purchase?

The Solution

Increasing conversions by utilising new platform innovations

Greater awareness and increased conversions from the target millennial and Gen Z audience was the aim. And TikTok represented the perfect channel to focus on Gen Z shoppers. On average Irish users spend 97 mins per day on TikTok, so investing in the channel for a campaign was a no-brainer. Using Collection Ads, Conversion Ads, and Product Feeds, success would be any marked increase in Last-Click transactions, an increase in purchases, and any uplift in return on advertising spend.

The team knew the foundation for successful TikTok campaigns. Using engaging, review-type UGC content targeting younger segments with a keen interest in cosmetics and beauty. Embracing native-feeling content that resonates with younger users was essential.

Cosmetics, make-up inspiration, and make-up on TikTok lend themselves well to using creator content. They’re ideal for showcasing products and delivering tutorial and review-style content. At the same time, it promotes a product's value proposition to its target audience. To really shine ads need a natural UGC feel that enhances users’ in-app experience without interrupting it.

The campaign strategy was twofold. First, embrace innovative creative content to deliver engaging ads that excite and engage the younger audiences. This would drive interest and translate it into Add to Cart Events, shortening the path to purchase. This strand of their strategy involved testing TikTok’s new conversion-specific Collection Ads. SoSu Cosmetics were one of the very first brands in Ireland to launch this newest ad type.

Collection Ads deliver a more seamless in-app shopping experience turning discoverability into purchases. Their format makes it easy to find and browse products in a full-screen mobile experience. Publishing Collection Ads creates an ad that leads to an Instant Gallery Page. Here people can explore a carefully curated collection of your products.  Publishing ads featuring relevant content drives product discovery and creates a seamless immersive mobile experience. Combined these drive action. Collection Ads can also be set up with the TikTok E-Commerce Platform Integration. SoSu duly did this with their merchant partners; Shopify Website and Pixel.

Two key insights played a vital role in the campaign. Changes to EU regulations and the fact that tanning products start trending in March and April provided an ideal campaign window. They also knew that over 68% of TikTok users reported searching for a product after seeing it on TikTok. Added to this, 71% of users reported making an impulse buy after seeing a TikTok ad.

Armed with these, they began testing the new Collection Ads. Featuring their hottest tanning products, they began targeting their Gen Z audience. Users saw tutorial-style content, which when clicked, opened into an instant experience filled with the top-selling tanning products. Just one click took users from the discovery phase to the consideration stage. This perfectly positioned them to act on that impulse buy. 

The Results

Using Collection Ads to turn bronzer into pure gold

A series of offers and promotions using TikTok's newest ad types drove a significant uplift in sales. By shortening the path between discovery and purchase the campaign was highly successful. They saw a 450% increase in TikTok Purchase Events, a 211% Increase in TikTok ROAS, and a 72% increase in Website Transactions from Gen Z.

The campaign strategy had the added benefit of unlocking Value Based Optimisation (VBO). This is a new conversion objective offering the ability to optimise ad delivery for high-value customers. The result? An increase in revenue, driving even higher ROAS results within TikTok. The team are exploring further as they continue using TikTok as an integral channel of their marketing.