The Future of e-Commerce in Beauty

Today’s consumers are no longer afraid to order online due to the pandemic world, especially in beauty. Nowadays, many innovative technologies allow merchants to bring their customers confidence even when buying items that can be difficult to purchase online, such as lipsticks. What can we expect from the future of e-commerce in beauty?

The buying habits are changing

The acceleration of e-commerce in this field recorded during the pandemic is not ending. Online sales are expected to represent nearly one-third of global health and beauty sales by 2026, compared to one-fifth in 2021. As for the cosmetics segment revenues, they will amount to $100.5 billion in 2022. Health and beauty e-commerce will grow more than three times faster than in-store retail over the next five years. Also, according to a new report from Edge Retail Insight, long closures of high street stores and malls caused by the COVID-19 restrictions have changed shopping habits.

Online sales techniques

As consumer behavior changes, companies must adapt. They need to be able to adopt new trends and technologies to continue to meet the changing needs of their customers. Here are some examples of how to stay ahead of your competitors.

1. Augmented reality

Augmented reality gives the possibility to create a new type of experience for customers. For example, facial recognition can be used to try on products such as makeup or glasses. Cosmetics giant Sephora has been looking at the topic of augmented reality for several years now. Its “Virtual Artist” app uses face “mapping” technology to allow users to try on thousands of products. Users can also follow beauty tutorials, with each step animated directly on their faces.

2. Simplified Design

The future is not just about technological complexity. A growing trend in e-commerce is to clean up the virtual interface. Namely, creating a presentation space so simple that the product is put back at the heart of the experience, with no ancillary stimuli to distract the consumer from their search. This trend is dubbed “brutalist”: a return to less sophisticated interfaces, as in the early days of the Internet.

Why is this trend significant? Because design influences how a brand represents itself online and how customers interact with it. Rethinking the look and feel of your online store allows you to offer new experiences to users.

Did you know? With Icecat, it’s possible to integrate cosmetics product content into your online platform easily.