As I milled around the counters last Sunday during a private shopping event, I was reminded how much fun it is to try out new products. Certainly the roughly $400+ billion beauty industryhas realized to great effect that the concept of a makeover and the lure of a new look can generate profits. If the consumer likes a product, there is a strong likelihood that he or she will buy it again when the first bottle is finished. Indeed, some cosmetic and skincare retailers offer sign-ups to ensure regular deliveries of favorite creams and gels. Make no mistake however. The purchasing experience itself is an important part of the process. Those organizations that recognize the allure of feel, smell and touch are raking in the dough. According to "The Sephora effect: How the cosmetics retailer transformed the beauty industry" by Sarah Halzack (The Washington Post, March 9, 2015), brand loyalty has given way to plunking down dollars "in a place where you can easily test virtually any product." Buyers have constant access to information, in large part due to social media marketing. "They don't have to go to a counter to get that education."

Although lipstick and Individual Retirement Accounts ("IRAs") may seem like polar ends of the consumption spectrum, there are enough similarities that financial services marketing executives may want to spend some time perusing the powder and perfume aisles. To curry favor with investors who find it hard to differentiate among savings vehicles, savvy sellers are starting to recognize the importance of making the buying process "fun" and "lively." Offering a financial "beauty makeover" with encouragement about a better future is one way to establish a meaningful dialogue between an advisor and an investor. Being transparent and showcasing multiple products is another strategy.

Things are changing from Wall Street to Main Street but there is room for improvement. In "Creative Content Marketing for Financial Services: 3 Examples" (Chief Content Officer Magazine, March 7, 2013), Kevin Cain points out that "...the industry seemingly operates under the misconception that its heavy regulatory burdens both preclude and exempt it from taking a creative approach to content" and should embrace "the style and delivery of the message." He then illustrates the tact taken by three financial service firms to attract and retain business.

Sentient marketing and a dash of pizzazz may soon become a necessity if the financial services industry wants to sell to the younger generation. As the Society of Actuaries website informs, those in their twenties and thirties are expected to "make up 50 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2020" and therefore represent "a sizable market for financial products." To reach these millennials, TIAA-CREF executives, Richard Pretty and Jonathan Gentry, urge firms to: (a) explain both short-term and long-term planning issues such as paying off student debt while seeking to put money aside (b) recognize the imperative of digital communications and engage Generation Y accordingly (c) leverage the influence of parents and peers and (d) describe the vagaries of the capital markets and "restore confidence in investing." They may need to act fast if they want to compete with robo advisors. As Marlene Y. Satter writes in "Wealthy millennials want automated retirement" (Benefits Pro, April 28, 2015), a new study from Global Wealth Monitor will eschew the "personal touch in retirement planning" in exchange for online tools and analysis.

Those planning for retirement may not get a free lipstick but snappy interactions with prospects and existing clients are likely just the beginning of the brave new world of financial services marketing. Competition with robots and clarion calls for lower fees challenge service providers even further.