Survey: Online merchants gain ground in beauty, but brick-and-mortar outlets still reign
NEW YORK — While more and more beauty shoppers are buying products online, big box retailers, pharmacies and grocery stores are still the top sources for many cosmetics and grooming products, according to the findings of a recent survey by The Harris Poll.
As shopping habits shift and change, the purchase channels for grooming and cosmetic staples become increasingly varied and it may be only a matter of time before sales from online merchants begin to take over. Newly released data show consumers may be shifting gradually toward online merchants as 14% indicated they are getting more from this channel today than 2 to 3 years ago.
The Harris Poll surveyed 2,068 U.S. adults online between June 16 and 18, 2014.
Most popular purchase channels
Despite the changes in purchase location over the past two to three years, the top purveyors of cosmetics and grooming products are mainly brick and mortar, and are by and large limited to just two or three main channels: "big box" retail stores, pharmacies, and grocery stores/supermarkets. Most utilize "big box" retailers for each type of cosmetic and grooming product surveyed (sunscreen 64%, shampoo and conditioner 62%, hair styling product 62%, hair color product 60%, non-sunscreen product with SPF protection 59%, facial/skin care product 54%, and cosmetic 54%).
Pharmacies and grocery stores/supermarkets round out the top three merchants for most of these types of products, including shampoos and/or conditioners, hair styling products, sunscreen, non-sunscreen products with SPF protection and hair color products.
However, certain product categories stand out from the crowd in this department. Facial/skin care products and cosmetics have the most diverse responses where purchase channels are concerned, with retailer types beyond the aforementioned "top three" still delivering strong percentages.
For cosmetics, online merchants (28%), department stores (24%) and grocery stores (23%) round out the top five after "big box" retailers (54%) and pharmacies (39%). Other popular channels outside of these include in-person at a specialty beauty products merchant (19%) and in-person/not in a store (15%).
Similarly, for facial/skin care product purchasers, online merchants (27%) rank third, after "big box" retailers (54%) and pharmacies (31%), along with outperforming grocery stores (23%). Department stores (17%) are another popular channel, while another 1-in-10 turn to an in-person specialty beauty products merchant (11%).
Online merchants are currently most popular for purchasing cosmetics (28%), facial/skin care products (27%), hair color products (22%), non-sunscreen products SPF protection (21%) and hair styling products (20%). They are less popular for sunscreen (14%) and shampoo and/or conditioner (12%) purchases.
Looking at the different types of online merchants, online mass merchandisers are the most popular online channel for the majority of surveyed products (facial/skin care products 17%, non-sunscreen products with SPF protection 13%, hair color products 13%, hair styling products 12%, shampoos and/or conditioners 8%, and sunscreen 8%), with the exception of cosmetics, where online specialty beauty products merchants take the top spot (17%).
Perks and pitfalls of Internet purchases
Aside from a presumed convenience factor, the Internet has some additional perks as well, with 57% of adults stating they like being able to see grooming and/or cosmetic product reviews when shopping online. However, it's not without its downfalls, and in-person purchases are particularly important for new and first-time product purchases:
Sixty-two percent say since computer screen colors vary, it's important to buy grooming or cosmetic products in-person when buying for the first time.
Nearly 7-in-10 (69%) agree that they're more likely to purchase health or cosmetic products in-person when there are new products they want to try.
Sometimes the Internet just can't measure up to the in-person experience, as 33% agree they like to have an associate show them how to use a cosmetic product properly when shopping in-person.
At the end of the day, what it really all comes down to is the cost. Eighty-eight percent agree that once they find a product they like, they'll buy it wherever they can get the best price.