Report finds more French women go online to buy cosmetics

14-Dec-2012 - Last updated on 03-May-2013 at 08:28 GMT

According to a study by market researcher Come & Stay, 67 per cent of French women buy their cosmetics online, confirming that consumers are developing an increasing confidence towards shopping online.

The report was compiled for cosmetic brand, État Pur whose products are only sold online, in an effort to build a barometer on the behaviour of consumers who primarily buy their cosmetics.

The market researcher says the barometer confirmed the strong interest of French women in cosmetics, which are ranked amongst the world’s leading consumers of cosmetics and the increasing confidence of consumers towards online sales and the steady increase of the e-commerce.

"In an area where personal advices as well as the need to test products before purchasing it were considered as major impediments to the development of online sales, the results of the study show, on the contrary, that this distribution channel is becoming as usual as the others."

Promising findings...

The survey, conducted online with 1,230 women between May 9 and June 21, 2012, found that the majority of French women claimed to spend between 30 and 60 euros per month on cosmetics, with 47 per cent purchasing between 30 and 60 euros in all retail channels combined.

The specialist of digital communication further found that 30 per cent of consumers made regular online purchases over the last six months, with two thirds of the respondents buying online over the same time period compared to 82 per cent for perfumeries and 88 per cent for pharmacies.

In regards to product categories, the firm says 61 per cent of respondents have bought a face care product online over the last six months and more than 47 per cent have bought a body care product.

"Over 40 per cent of buyers say that they even get on the internet to buy a brand they did not know."

According to Come & Stay, the research indicates French women (71 per cent) turn to the online shops of renown brands (Clarins, Yves Rocher) rather than on the merchant site of a specialized distributor (39 per cent ) and that the overall main motivations of online shoppers include the opportunity to make “good deals” (69 per cent), price (66 per cent) and product information (57 per cent).