As the pandemic makes people avoid going to the salon and feel comfortable for online sales of hair-styling products, the expenditure in hair grooming and styling has risen globally and the market for hair-styling tools has witnessed significant growth. According to Allied Market Research, a global research firm, the global personal care electrical appliances market is expected to garner $28,007 million by this new year and hair care appliances, such as hair stylers or straighteners, is the strongest market in the current scenario. Asia Pacific is considered as the fastest growing region, which was propelled by the innovation in terms of product design and implementation of social media marketing.
VODANA Inc. in South Korea became one of the major players, contributing to the growth of the electric hair-styling gadget market. The company introduced novel and fresh hair-styling products – from hair straighteners, hair curling irons, to triple flow hair waver – that enable individual consumers to create new looks easily. VODANA Inc. tipped for stardom in a short time and became a trendsetter for the new hair-styling product market. The company launched a 40mm-sized curling tong, which was the largest one ever produced in Korea. The product, VODANA Glam Wave Curling Iron, is known as ‘a curling tong sold once a second’.
VODANA’s pastel-tone colors such as mint, pink and lavender served as an important factor in the visual appearance and brand recognition of the brand. It broke away from chromatic colors such as black and gray, by adding cachet to its branding. Portable products also accurately targeted the design and size of the hair tool that consumers want. VODANA’s unique designs also provide ergonomics advantage and instigate ease for consumers by providing consumers its intimate brand experience.
CEO Choi built up its own brand image to lead people to aspire to buy and possess the product, which makes the product recognized as a personal or daily product rather than a professional equipment in a hair salon. As the company threw off hesitation to work in collaboration with other brands, its marketing clout achieved clever market positioning. The company also interacted more deeply with customers so as to build a strong and sustainable foundation for the brand. New product planning is all based on consumer’s feedback and demands. After launching a hair-dryer this January, the company is also in the process of launching additional hair care products. Consumers, in order to replicate the hairdo followed by professional salons, are expected to push the demand for different types of products with the advanced technology.
Craze on VODANA swept across China and Hong Kong, which was a big hit. VODANA’s products are being sold on Amazon, too. The company is preparing to make inroads into Japan, which has one of the biggest global beauty markets including Don Quijote. CEO Choi said expectedly, “Can’t wait to meet global consumers.” She will put her full efforts for strong growth and global expansion.
Kayla Hong
Asia Journal
