A new report by BACKLIGHT has found that although multi-ethnic consumers are spending £230 million each month on health and beauty, nearly four in ten Black female shoppers say it’s hard to find cosmetics and skincare.
The Black Pound Report 2022 found that multi-ethnic consumers spend 25% more on health and beauty products than any other consumer partly because 22% need to go to specialist shops to find their health and beauty products, and this figure rises to 30% for Black women.
Yet the survey of 3,500 participants also found that Black, Asian and multi-ethnic consumers are more motivated to shop locally where they can, with 64% of participants responding positively (vs. 56% of the general population).
Brands should be appealing to Black, Asian and multi-ethnic consumers by being more inclusive and thinking about diversity in their product creation and advertising, the report stresses, adding that 93% of multi-ethnic consumers think brands have a responsibility to approach diversity and inclusion compared to 74% of those from a White background, while diversity in advertising is three times more important to multi-ethnic consumers (24%) than White consumers (8%).
When there is an audience spending £2.7 billion every year on health and beauty products … why on Earth would brands not want a slice of that pie?
Multi-ethnic consumers are also about twice as likely to favour and trust brands that are representative of different communities, have considered ethnic diversity in the creation of their products and services, and have diverse staff both in-store and across their entire businesses. 59% of Black, Asian and multi-ethnic consumers stated they’d be more likely to purchase products from a brand with an inclusive product range.
“When there is an audience spending £2.7 billion every year on health and beauty products, demonstrating that they want to spend their money with businesses on their high street, why on Earth would brands not want a slice of that pie?” says BACKLIGHT founder and CEO Lydia Amoah (pictured). “The Black Pound Report is helping businesses to understand the value of inclusion in the products they create, stock and market.”
She adds: “When I was 21, I went into a department store to buy make-up. I struggled to find a shade for my skin tone and asked the assistant for help. She said they only stocked colours for ‘normal skin’. In that moment, I decided that my life’s work would be dedicated to ensuring that no one would ever have that same experience.
“I would like The Black Pound Report to change how brands treat their consumers and treat everyone with respect and serve them equally. For the first time, this report shows the untapped economic power of the multi-ethnic consumer and allows businesses to understand an audience that has rarely been researched in depth. From media consumption through to health and beauty product choices, multi-ethnic consumers have distinct motivators. Businesses must understand and reflect these to sell their products and services and be truly inclusive.”
The Black Pound Report can be downloaded from BACKLIGHT’s website.
