Beauty and the Pandemic
Numerator | November 23, 2020
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but even during a pandemic, people want to put their best face forward and maintain a level of self-care. However, the Beauty channel has experienced a dramatic downturn during the COVID-19 crisis. Almost across the board, beauty retailers saw a significant drop in household penetration and spending. Where did shoppers go for beauty supplies when specialty stores had to close during the shutdown? How have buyers and brand choices changed? And are these changes only skin deep or are they long-lasting?
Numerator Solutions Consultants Patreece Smith and Erich Ritz put together an in-depth webinar on the shifts we’ve seen over the last eight months. They discuss how shoppers have adapted, the unique trends unfolding in the category, and how brands and retailers can adjust to reach the new, post-pandemic beauty buyer. See the key insights called out in Numerator's recap below!
Mandatory lockdowns in the early months of the pandemic forced beauty retailers such as Ulta Beauty and Sephora to shutter their stores.
It’s clear beauty supplies such as facial, skin, and hair care are still in demand. However, over 65% of shoppers have turned to traditional and online channels for these products. Target, Walmart, and Amazon have all captured a notable increase in wallet share and are placing more emphasis on their beauty promotions, especially on the digital side
Post-pandemic beauty buyer. Much different from the pre-pandemic buyer, these new shoppers are younger, higher-income, and heavily influenced by social media. Though they prefer traditional retailers for beauty supplies, they’re not fans of private label brands.
Online and mass retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart have made note of these new trends. They’ve reduced their promotion of private label beauty brands and now almost exclusively advertise national names.
Popular social media platforms like Tik Tok are playing a big role in how young beauty consumers learn about trending brands and have led to an increase in product trials.
Looking ahead, all brands and retailers in the Beauty channel will want to implement marketing strategies that appeal to and attract the new post-pandemic shopper.