In essence, beauty products are meant to be smelled, touched and tried before purchase. For years, physical stores have reigned supreme in the cosmetics industry… until the arrival of the Internet. Initially shy, this new channel has gained favor with consumers because of its many practical aspects despite the impossibility of testing cosmetics before ordering. For a few years, these two channels coexisted, both responding to the different needs of consumers.
In 2020, the Covid-19 crisis has severely impacted the beauty industry. Perfumeries and other selective distribution channels were forced to close their doors for a few months. The general public has thus massively resorted to the Internet to continue buying cosmetics. E-commerce has had to adapt to meet the ever-increasing flow of orders, as well as to offer a customer experience as pleasant as in physical stores.
On its side, the retail industry also had to face some challenges when health restrictions were lifted.
How to encourage consumers to return to the store? How to ensure customer safety in the face of a global pandemic? How can we make the shopping experience more dynamic?
The authors
A graduate of the School of Journalism in Lille, Laurence Wittner is a freelance journalist specializing in the field of cosmetics. Co-founder of Monitor Cosmetics, she is the editor-in-chief of its supports.
A graduate of the European Institute of Journalism, Jasmine Salmi is a journalist specializing in the field of cosmetics. She joined the editorial team of CosmeticOBS-L’Observatoire des Cosmétiques in 2016. Her core areas of expertise are trends, eco-responsibility and the analysis of the beauty market.
Minibook 2022 “The Mechanics of cosmetic distribution”, english version, L’Observatoire des Cosmétiques’ edition (August 2022), 57 pages (ISBN : 978-24-93362-15-5), PDF format.
