The Body Shop Competitive Advantage and Value

The Body Shop is definitely not the average beauty retailer. From their ethical moral to their active and ongoing social activism, value is added to the customer’s entire experience.

They build their competitive advantage around their 5 core values:
1. Against animal testing
2. Support fair trade
3. Activate self esteem
4. Defend human rights
5. Protect the planet

While keeping their media and advertising to a minimum, they managed to have an impact, securing a place in the skincare, bodycare and cosmetic markets, by differentiating themselves. The founder, Annita Roddick, had a natural and environmentally-conscious vision for the company, and it is inspiring to see an entrepreneur’s dreams being built and growing strong through 40 years. Value is added in many ways to benefit not only the customer, but also tracing back to the roots of producton, to the farmers who get fair pay to harvest ingredients for the company. Most of the time, exceptional customer service comes from intrinsic factors from the sales associates and management themselves, because the employees have a strong cultural identity with the company.

It is very apparent that the values are incorporated in every aspect of their operations, and it is very inspiring that fair trade stories are spread through word-of-mouth within the company, from employees to customers. My favourite fair trade story that I have heard of is fair-traded honey from Ethiopia. The handcrafted bamboo hives hung by the farmers in remote areas receive fair pay for the high quality honey, in which you can smell the floral scents from the bee’s pollination efforts.

Personally, as an aspiring entrepreneur, Anita Roddick is a woman I look up to dearly. Her passion and determination to do business in an ethical way is not just a front, but it is from her beliefs! Working for something you value so dearly is where I see myself in ten years, where passion is fuel for hard work, and thus, having influential results.

http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1192974/loreals-jeremy-schwartz-lead-body-shop-international
http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/values/ingredient-honey.aspx