As Lookfantastic reports over 280,000 users downloaded the app during the four-week period of the recent UEFA European Football Championship, the RetailX Global Beauty 2024 report looks at why people who buy cosmetics and beauty products online are more likely to be using a smartphone than any other devices.
The THG owned beauty retailer has credited the ‘England effect’ for increased traffic to its Lookfantastic app. During the final against Spain last Sunday, the Lookfantastic app traffic peaked at almost 24k visits – treble the amount 12 months earlier.
“We recognise the increased mobility of our customers during key sporting events & when the Euros’ kicked off, we saw thousands of Lookfantastic customers hitting the app to shop their favourite beauty products,” explained Keely Gough, Lookfantastic’s managing director.
“We’re proud to have recently extended our deadline for guaranteed next-day delivery to 1am, so customers shopping after midnight also received their products the same day.”
App downloads across THG Beauty are up 45% year-on-year and accounted for 35% of THG’s online beauty revenue in the UK in the first quarter of 2024. THG has previously credited its beauty division for a return to revenue growth.
Furthermore, the recently published RetailX Global Beauty 2024 report has witnessed growing consumer demand for mobile applications when shopping for cosmetics.
Some 48% of cosmetics and beauty shoppers use a mobile phone for every purchase, with a further 35% using one “most of the time”.
Globally, 59% of everything spent online on beauty and personal care products is attributable to mobile devices, a figure that has increased by two or three percentage points per year since 2019.
Therefore, it is unsurprising that brands and retailers not only follow a mobile-first approach to designing digital experiences for their customers but they also innovate with the functionality that smartphones enable. Cameras, video, user-generated content and social media are all being embraced by retailers,
brands, and the customers looking to become more knowledgeable about cosmetics and beauty ingredients and the latest trends, as well as be entertained as part of their shopping experience.
The recently published RetailX Global Beauty 2024 report, authored by Emma Herrod, shows an industry driven by newness, and consumers passionate about their purchases and loyal to certain brands.
Download the full report here, for an in-depth look into the market. It uses RetailX analysis and interviews with major retailers to outline the state of the beauty and cosmetics industry.
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