Nathalie Pichard, founder of toPNotes

1 • Pay particular attention to coherence

Price, positioning, creation, distribution channel… everything should be measured, calibrated, and mutually dependent. It is essential to ensure a good mixture of these elements.

2 • Define your target

If you know your target, you know your customers: it justifies everything. The market research should be accurate.

3 • Do not neglect distribution

Before initiating the project, it is crucial to consider your distributors as committed partners. If they do not highlight the product, it will not come out, nor will it sell…

4 • Be clear

Not only on the appearance, but also in your message. The bottle and the name should be easily recognizable and related to a specific story.

5• Create an identity

It is very positive for a juice to be instantaneously recognizable, but it is also very rare, as Angel, N°5, or Shalimar are… Above all, a perfume’s identity is olfactory, so the creation should stand out to exist.

6 • Tell a story

The point is to create an emotion in relation to the fragrance. Great perfumes take us on a journey that means something to us.

7 • Stick to your time

Being at the forefront is a good thing, but you should take into account it can take time for the product to position itself on the market. It is essential to evolve with your time, because a product that is TOO innovative might be judged a bit TOO retrospectively.

8 • Be legitimate

Many brands originally not in the perfume sector are stepping out of their traditional sphere to reach this new Eldorado. Beware not to try and shake up the codes too much: make sure you are legitimate in your olfactory world and avoid “business at all costs” or “SKUs for new” strategies.

9 • Do not ostensibly copy your competitors!

In the perfumery sector, it is very hard, even impossible to identically reproduce a formula. But openly trying to get close to it reveals a lack of creativity, which usually fails. Juice, bottle, concept… you should ensure you know your competitors to avoid unintentional copies (everything is known, everything is felt).

10 • Choose the right moment!

It is better to wait for the right moment to make yourself heard or… to know how to be cheeky, but it is risky!