While online shopping is taking off, it seems beauty shoppers are still wary of the make-up counters of the digital world, with a recent study finding them prefering to purchase cosmetics from traditional retail outlets.
Market research consultancy Kline Group recently revealed e-commerce accounts for a 10 per cent of beauty sales.
This is despite brands pouring time and money into the digital realm to encourage growth.
As senior associate Donna Barson puts it, online “is a hotbed of activity with sites from marketers, traditional retailers, and pure-play retailers all going after consumers’ beauty dollars.”
In Barson’s opinion, e-commerce for beauty is currently just underdeveloped. She explains: “Physical brick-and-mortar stores are not going away and will still account for the bulk of beauty sales… [but] smartphones and tablets are transforming the shopping experience.”
There is opportunity for businesses to reach consumers, but to do so they must focus on three specific areas - those of digital beauty consultants, consumer expectations and blended commerce.
Barson says it is imperative for brands to interact with consumers and stay ahead of the latest developments if they want to be successful in the digital domain.
“In order to stay relevant, marketers and retailers must constantly adjust their retail strategies to embrace new devices. Even if consumers are purchasing in-store, they are using mobile devices to check out product details, reviews, price comparisons, promotions etc before actually making the purchase.”
