Women look to Internet to replenish beauty brands

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. —Retailers and manufacturers looking to reach beauty shoppers should not underestimate the Web, as recent research has shown that the Internet is one of the fastest-growing channels for buying beauty products.

According to a new report from consumer and retail information provider The NPD Group, sales over the Web now make up 4 percent of all sales, or about $1.7 billion in the more than $42 billion beauty industry. Even though that is a small percentage, currently, the Web is the fastest-growing channel for shopping.

The results are based on a sample of 4,135 women age 18 to 64 who reported shopping for beauty products during the past 12 months.

“Consumers are more likely to research, choose and replenish beauty brands online. We find that women are less-accepting of buying new brands over the Internet, but they are spending their money on brands they know and trust,” stated Karen Grant, senior beauty industry analyst for The NPD Group.

The report, titled “Emerging Channels: Beauty Care Products Over the Internet,” found that 1-in-10 women across all age groups said they shop for such beauty products as skin care, makeup and fragrances on the Web. Forty-three percent of women who shop for beauty products online said they spent more online in 2006 than they did in 2005. The No. 1 reason: convenience. More than 74 percent of those surveyed said it saves time, while about 70 percent said it’s easier/quicker to shop online than a store.

It isn’t just the younger women buying online. The report found that women age 45 to 64 make up a large segment of the online shoppers. In fact, among the women who shop the Web for beauty products more than 41 percent are age 45 to 64 compared with 36 percent of women age 18 to 34.

In addition, the higher the income, the greater the likelihood women will buy online.