How Australis Used Ideally to Predict Real-World Sales

See how Australis tested its new lipstick range on Ideally before production, and saw sales mirror the results shade for shade.

Written by

Lindsay Bennett

‍Picking the wrong shade mix in beauty is expensive. Slow inventory, missed momentum, hard conversations about ROI. Here's how Australis used Ideally to test their new lipstick range before production, and ended up with sales results that mirrored the test almost shade for shade.

The Challenge

‍Australis, part of Heritage Brands, was launching a new long-wear lipstick and lip liner range into Australian retail. With multiple shade options across different tone categories, the team needed to know which shades would resonate most with women aged 18-44 before committing to production.
‍
Getting the colour mix wrong would mean slow-moving inventory and missed momentum in a competitive beauty market.

The Approach

Using the Ideally platform, Australis ran a concept test across their proposed shade categories with a dedicated sample of Australian women aged 18-44. Each shade was measured on appeal, purchase intent, distinctiveness, brand fit, and open-ended sentiment, and was benchmarked against Ideally's beauty category average.

A profiling question on usage habits segmented results by consumer type (everyday vs. occasion-based wearers), while a follow-up preference question within each shade category pinpointed the exact swatch consumers were most likely to purchase.

Why Ideally:

  1. Proven commercial predictability: Pre-launch results accurately predicted which shades would lead at retail, giving the team confidence their testing translates to real sales.

  2. Speed to insight: Results were delivered fast enough to fit within the product development timeline, before the team committed to production.

  3. Built-in ROI story: With sales data now backing up the research, the team has clear proof of return for internal budget conversations. The success led Australis to immediately commission a second study for their upcoming eyeshadow stick range.

“Ideally test results uncovered exactly which products would perform before we went into market, and the initial sales results were almost a carbon copy of the concept test. This helps support our investment in early consumer research. It’s great for our confidence in the value of pre-launch testing.”

Stephanie Carson

Brand Manager, Australis (Heritage Brands)

Results

When the lipstick range launched nationwide, the initial sales data was almost a carbon copy of the concept test results. The shades that scored highest on purchase intent and appeal were the same shades leading in real-world sales, both online and in-store. This established pre-launch testing as a proven part of the Australis innovation process and directly informed the approach for their next product launch.

‍Picking the wrong shade mix in beauty is expensive. Slow inventory, missed momentum, hard conversations about ROI. Here's how Australis used Ideally to test their new lipstick range before production, and ended up with sales results that mirrored the test almost shade for shade.

The Challenge

‍Australis, part of Heritage Brands, was launching a new long-wear lipstick and lip liner range into Australian retail. With multiple shade options across different tone categories, the team needed to know which shades would resonate most with women aged 18-44 before committing to production.
‍
Getting the colour mix wrong would mean slow-moving inventory and missed momentum in a competitive beauty market.

The Approach

Using the Ideally platform, Australis ran a concept test across their proposed shade categories with a dedicated sample of Australian women aged 18-44. Each shade was measured on appeal, purchase intent, distinctiveness, brand fit, and open-ended sentiment, and was benchmarked against Ideally's beauty category average.

A profiling question on usage habits segmented results by consumer type (everyday vs. occasion-based wearers), while a follow-up preference question within each shade category pinpointed the exact swatch consumers were most likely to purchase.

Why Ideally:

  1. Proven commercial predictability: Pre-launch results accurately predicted which shades would lead at retail, giving the team confidence their testing translates to real sales.

  2. Speed to insight: Results were delivered fast enough to fit within the product development timeline, before the team committed to production.

  3. Built-in ROI story: With sales data now backing up the research, the team has clear proof of return for internal budget conversations. The success led Australis to immediately commission a second study for their upcoming eyeshadow stick range.

“Ideally test results uncovered exactly which products would perform before we went into market, and the initial sales results were almost a carbon copy of the concept test. This helps support our investment in early consumer research. It’s great for our confidence in the value of pre-launch testing.”

Stephanie Carson

Brand Manager, Australis (Heritage Brands)

Results

When the lipstick range launched nationwide, the initial sales data was almost a carbon copy of the concept test results. The shades that scored highest on purchase intent and appeal were the same shades leading in real-world sales, both online and in-store. This established pre-launch testing as a proven part of the Australis innovation process and directly informed the approach for their next product launch.

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