TABS color cosmetics report points to rise in e-commerce

In the third of a three-part series, here we look at where US color cosmetics consumers say they are going to buy their products, and it seems that brick and mortar stores are not the winners. 

In our previous two articles, we looked at the fifth annual color cosmetic report published by TABS and showed how the data suggested that social media influence was waning, while consumers' intentions to buy products across 20 different color cosmetics categories was also on the demise. 

Where US women go to buy color cosmetics​

The TABS report questioned 1,000 US female consumers aged between 18 and 75 in an effort to throw light on purchasing intentions, what was influencing their purchasing decisions and where they actual go to buy the products. 

And where they actually make their purchases is showing some distinct signs of change. While e-commerce has been gaining in retail categories across the board, the specialty category specific to beauty and personal care is also proving to be a more popular destination for color cosmetic buyers in the US. 

The report shows that Amazon, specialty beauty sites and Walmart.com all made significant gains in the number of those consumers reporting where they preferred to buy their products from in 2018, compared to 2017.

Amazon, beauty sites and Walmart.com gain​

The TABS data shows that Amazon saw a 3% CAGR, while beauty dedicated websites increased 11% over the past two years and Walmart.com grew 15% year over year.

But where the online retailers were gaining, brick and mortar stores were losing, with the TABS research team reporting that declines were even evident for the massively successful specialty stores such as Ulta and Sephora. 

The TABS research team did point out that the decline in the popularity of specialty stores was likely to correlate with a decline in the number of consumers reporting heavy buying patterns for color cosmetics in 2018, compared to 2017.