Building an innovation pipeline from what consumers actually want next
The innovation calendar was full, but too few launches were meeting their targets.
Growth case- A mass-premium cosmetics brand
- Client
- Cosmetics
- Industry
- Market & GTM Strategy
- Solution
- 12 weeks
- Duration
Results
- New-launch success rate
- 20% → 55%
- Concept-to-launch time
- −30%
- Revenue from launches under 2 years old
- +6 pts
The challenge
Innovation ideas came mostly from global trend reports and competitor launches. Only about one in five launches hit its year-one target. The pipeline was long, and nobody could say with confidence which ideas matched real, growing consumer needs in the brand's markets.
Our approach
How we applied the GROW Framework — from data to decisions and measurable growth.
Brought together search trends, social listening, 150,000+ marketplace ratings and reviews, and the brand's own sales to track demand signals by need and sub-category.
Mapped emerging need-states and white spaces where demand was rising but few products were available: long-wear formats for hot, humid climates, wider shade ranges for deeper skin tones, and skincare-infused makeup.
Scored every pipeline idea on demand, brand fit and feasibility. Around 40% of existing projects were stopped, and resources moved to eight consumer-backed concepts validated through quick concept tests.
Set up an always-on demand-sensing dashboard that feeds a quarterly innovation review, so the pipeline keeps following consumers rather than competitors.
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