Consumers Still Shopping in Brick & Mortar Stores

While online shopping certainly has its  place, many products may be better suited to brick and mortar shopping, according to a Harris Poll that examined Americans’ shopping habits surrounding grooming and cosmetic staples. However, it’s not always all about location. At the end of the day, price reigns supreme over purchase location as nearly 9 in 10 Americans say once they find a product they like, they’ll buy it wherever they can get the best price (87%), according to the poll.


The Harris Poll of more than 2,200 US adults was conducted online between Sept. 19-Oct. 3, 2016, and included 2,088 purchasers of cosmetic and grooming products. Since 2014, in-person merchants continue to be the most common purchase location. In total, about 9 in 10 purchasers shop in person for hair styling products (91%), shampoos and conditioners (91%), cosmetics (90%), non-sunscreen products with SPF protection (89%), and sunscreen (87%). Specifically, big box retailers remain the top purchase location for all of the cosmetic and beauty products surveyed. A majority of purchasers of hair styling products (59%), shampoos/conditioners (59%), non-sunscreen products with SPF protection (57%), sunscreen (56%), and hair color products (51%) turn to big box retailers.


Retail stores are also the top merchant for cosmetic (50%) and facial/skin care product (49%) purchasers. For nearly all products, pharmacies and grocery stores round out the top three purchase locations, including shampoos/conditioners, facial/skin care products, sunscreen, non-sunscreen SPF products, hair color and hair styling products.


Cosmetics in particular see much greater variety in purchase locations than other products. Pharmacies (39%), department stores (23%), specialty beauty product merchants (23%), and online specialty beauty merchants (22%) round out the top five after big box retailers (50%) for cosmetics.


In total, online purchases are most popular for cosmetics (40%) and facial/skin care products (34%). Around three in 10 also turn online for hair styling products (29%), hair color products (28%), and non-sunscreen SPF products (28%). Online channels are less popular for sunscreen (22%) and shampoo and/or conditioner (17%) purchases.


Online mass merchandisers are the most popular online channel for the majority of products surveyed (facial/skin care products 19%, non-sunscreen products with SPF protection 15%, sunscreen 15%, hair styling products 14%, hair color products 12%, and shampoos and/or conditioners 12%), with the exception of cosmetics, where online specialty beauty products merchants land in first (22%). Sixteen percent of product purchasers say they’re buying more from online mass merchandisers than they were two to three years ago.


When it comes to new products, however, in-person purchasing remains popular as 66% say they’re more likely to purchase health or cosmetic products in-person when there are new products they want to try. Further, 57% agree that since computer screen colors vary, it’s important to buy products in-person when buying for the first time.


On the other hand, some products are simply more suited for purchasing in person, such as cosmetics. In the poll, three in 10 say they like to have an associate show how to use a cosmetic product properly when shopping in person (30%). Online shopping has its own perks as well, as nearly 6 in 10 say they like being able to see grooming and/or cosmetic product reviews online (57%).

More info: www.harrispollonline.com