How Nivea's Online Custom Design Tool Is Engaging Consumers

In spring 2013, Nivea launched "Style Uncapped" - an online design tool that lets consumers create - and purchase - their own customized lip balm cap.

There are 400 patterns to choose from, or consumers can create a custom design at StyleUncapped.com. Colors can be changed, and text can be added. The collection even includes stylish patterns based on fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff's runway looks.

Plus, Nivea will be adding a new design by Rebecca Minkoff in September – so consumers can purchase a lip balm “dressed” in a pattern inspired by one of the designer’s new trendy looks for Fall 2013.

Nivea's "Style Uncapped" website.

Turning Consumer Designs Into Custom Packages

In order to make Nivea's 'Style, Uncapped' program a reality, the team at Beiersdorf worked with Rosetta, a consumer engagement digital agency, to build its website.

A custom label by fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff for Nivea lip balm.

Beiersdorf’s supply chain team, led by Janet Lyngdal, had to develop an entirely new workflow that allowed for first time direct-to-consumer sales. "Utilizing SAP for the capture of sales and inventory transactions was a major challenge we had to overcome," explains Lyngdal.

CCG Marketing, in West Caldwell, NJ, was selected by the brand to design the print components and order production workflow for “Style, Uncapped.”

CCG developed custom APIs to transfer the consumer’s PCI compliant data into its order stream from the Style Uncapped ordering site. "This information then securely travels into the order fulfillment and XMPie variable composition process, which composes the custom label, flavor selection and shipping label," explains Lyngdal.

The custom labels are printed using iGen4 150 digital press technology on a single custom sheet. "In the production environment, special tooling is used to allow the application of the label onto a blank cap, which is then matched with the other components and shipped directly to the consumer," adds Lyngdal.

Kristine Adzema, CCG’s project lead on the solution commented, “The Style, Uncapped consumer experience is very elegant, and the workflow mirrors this … we have created a simple yet very effective way of delivering the product to the consumer.”

How the Idea Came About

Last year, Nivea launched its “Kiss of Style" Cap Contest, which also allowed consumers to personalize a lip balm cap.

The contest was well received among the brand's Facebook community – more than 10K entries were submitted, with the winning design currently being sold in stores nationwide.

"A big piece of feedback from consumers during the contest was that they wished they could purchase their designed lip balm caps," explains Carole Rissmann, in marketing at Beiersdorf. "So now 'Style Uncapped' allows them to," she adds.

Measuring the Program's Success

Nivea is currently tracking every engagement on its website from the design process all the way through the ecommerce purchase experience—comparing the number of designs submitted with the number of lip balms that are purchased.

"Evaluating the time spent on the site, where consumers are engaging the most on the site, and where the potential fall-off is happening, are all important elements to measure,” explains Dave Foster, of Rosetta. He continues, “It is still early, but so far there have been 34K site visits, an average time of 7 min, 40 sec spent on the site and 70% return visitation."

Most marketers would agree, however, that since consumers are engaging with the brand online in an innovative way by sharing custom designs through social media, that alone should be considered a success—whether the interaction results in a purchase or not.

MORE ABOUT CAP DESIGNS:
See Caps are Key in Beauty Packaging's July/August issue.