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We were thrilled to welcome back Janice from Look Fabulous Forever to the show — a returning guest with a wealth of insights and no-nonsense advice for brands navigating the ever-changing e-commerce landscape.
Janice is now Managing Director at Look Fabulous Forever, a direct-to-consumer beauty brand designed specifically for postmenopausal women — a group often underserved (or misrepresented) by the wider beauty industry. With a strong community focus and commitment to authenticity, Janice and her team have not only carved out a niche but turned it into a thriving business.
E-commerce Has Changed — Are You Keeping Up?
The last couple of years have seen dramatic shifts in e-commerce, especially for online-only brands like Look Fabulous Forever.
From the rise of Meta Advantage+ Shopping and Google Performance Max, to the surge in AI and attribution chaos, Janice explains that smart brands aren’t trying to replicate the past — they’re leaning into new ways of working.
“There was a lot we used to measure just because it was easy — not because it was accurate or helpful.”
Janice argues that attribution is essentially broken. Platforms all overclaim their revenue contribution, and marketers who obsess over last-click data risk missing the bigger picture. Instead, she encourages businesses to zoom out:
“If you're building a real relationship with customers, there are dozens, even hundreds of touchpoints. Don’t obsess over 1% here or there — think holistically.”
The Balance of Data and Creativity
Creativity is thriving in the new media landscape — especially on Meta, where brands can test huge volumes of content with little risk.
Look Fabulous Forever tests at least three new creative concepts a week. Some of them are wild bets, Janice says, but that’s the point. In fact, one of their best-performing sales conversion campaigns was a competition to win products — a format they’d never previously tested in that way.
The team also brings together analytical and creative minds in a monthly marketing debrief, reviewing what worked, what didn’t, and — crucially — why.
AI: Use It Where It Works
While AI content generation still falls short for Look Fabulous Forever (due to the brand’s unique audience and niche), Janice says AI-generated imagery has transformed their workflow — especially for product lifestyle shots.
“You can take a photo on your phone, and turn it into a beautiful lifestyle image. It’s saving time, money, and unlocking creative ideas we wouldn’t have tried before.”
That said, she’s careful to avoid unethical or inaccurate uses of AI, particularly when it comes to visual representations of people.
Content, Customers, and SEO: It’s All Connected
What’s been especially exciting for Janice and the team is how well their long-standing focus on useful, helpful content is now aligning with what Google’s algorithm wants.
They accidentally saw massive SEO gains in the last year just by doing the right thing — then amplified that with a few key digital PR wins and a content audit that prioritised quality over quantity.
“We realised the tech is finally catching up with what we've always done — making helpful content.”
They also make use of quarterly customer surveys to understand what their audience values, what they want more of, and what to test next. Those surveys don’t just generate ideas — they keep the team grounded in real customer needs.
Lessons From the Lab
Sometimes, your audience will ask for something that just doesn’t work. Janice shared a powerful example: customers asked for an age spot treatment, and early tests showed great promise — until 5% of users experienced skin irritation. Despite sunk costs, they pulled the product.
“We tested it properly because we knew from the start that reviews and results were the most important things to customers. That saved us from a much more expensive mistake.”
Winning on YouTube
YouTube is a key channel for Look Fabulous Forever — not just for acquisition, but for retention too.
A few years ago, Janice spoke to some of their most loyal customers, and nearly all of them mentioned discovering and continuing to watch the brand’s YouTube videos. The real turning point came when the team started treating YouTube like a search engine.
They optimised for YouTube SEO, discovered that most of their video traffic actually comes from Google (not YouTube search), and cross-referenced top-performing content across both YouTube and their website. That gave them a clear roadmap of what videos to make next — and which videos weren’t supporting their wider goals
Final Thoughts: Stay Curious, Stay Connected
From embracing AI in smart ways to redefining what success looks like in a post-attribution world, Janice shows that a balance of curiosity, creativity, and community can go a long way in building a resilient brand.
Her biggest advice? Keep testing. Keep asking your customers the right questions. And don’t be afraid to lean into the unknown — because often, the most surprising results are also the most valuable.
Check out the full podcast episode here.
This episode was brought to you by Nick Trueman, Director of PPC & SEO Agency, Spec Digital.