Question
Hi everyone
I am reaching out for some guidance and advice regarding a business dilemma I am currently facing. I own two businesses – a skincare company ( lets call it A skincare) for sensitive skin established six years ago and a hair care( B hair care) business focused on addressing hair loss that I founded during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong . Both businesses operate in Hong Kong, and my current business model involves selling both skincare and hair care products under the umbrella of my skincare brand A and using A website to sell both A skincare and B hair brand
Here's where I could use some insights: I am contemplating expanding my market to the U.S. However, there are a few challenges I am grappling with, and I'm seeking opinions on the best course of action.
The first challenge is related to trademarks. Unfortunately, my skincare brand is unable to register a trademark in the States and if i change the brand name now it will greatly affect my SEO in hong kong business and all the contents we have built which we spent years to build so we dont plan to change the brand name at this moment .Considering this limitation, I am uncertain about whether to continue with the same business model – selling both skincare and hair care products under the skincare brand – or if I should launch them separately but it will result in double expenses for losgitic, ad spend and website mangement
Q1: As a e-commerce business . Do we launch both brands under same website and same social media account like we did in Hong Kong . ( would it be confusing to consumers? )
Q2 : How should we position ourselves ? Do we only bring one brand in and test the market first or test both of the category at the same time?
3What considerations should I keep in mind as I make this decision?
Any advice, experiences, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time and input.
Answer
Here are my suggestions on how to approach the US expansion:
Launch the brands separately with distinct websites and social media accounts. This avoids confusion for US consumers who are unfamiliar with your Hong Kong brand umbrella approach. Selling such distinct products—skincare and hair loss treatments—together may seem disjointed or less focused to new customers.
Prioritize bringing your core skincare line first since that business is more established. Use a different brand name that can be trademarked in the US. Build an independent presence and equity in that market for the skincare line before introducing the hair care line.
Once the skincare line gains some traction, you can launch the hair care line independently under its own trademarkable brand. Cross-promote between the two brands since you own both. This allows you to build awareness for both distinctly first before linking them as sister brands.
Maintain separate websites and social channels for now. As both gain equity in the US, you can then transition to a master brand website that hosts or links to the two sub-brands. But launch separately first so US customers get familiar with each independently based on their own merits.
