Younger beauty consumers demand same-day delivery - report

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 29, 2022

Gen Z and Millennial consumers are fond of buying beauty online, but they’re getting more demanding when it comes to delivery times and next-day won’t do for many of them.

A new study shows 60% of 25-34 year-olds and 55% of those aged 16-24 say they would buy more often from a beauty product brand or retailer if same-day delivery was available. And 49% of older millennials aged 35-44 feel the same way.

Last-mile delivery specialist Gophr surveyed 2,000 UK consumers as well as analysing developments elsewhere and said that beauty and cosmetics brands in the US have made great strides in meeting this demand. Sephora, Ulta Beauty, multiple brands within the Estée Lauder and Coty portfolios, as well as The Body Shop US, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and Hourglass all offer same-day delivery. 

But it found that only six out of the UK’s 100 top beauty brands offer guaranteed same-day delivery (Burberry, Byredo, Chanel, Diptyque, Jo Malone and SpaceNK), with 58 offering next-day as standard.

Back with the consumer research, it said 68% of online shoppers in the UK were prepared to pay extra for same-day delivery on beauty products. 

And 29% of all female shoppers are prepared to pay between £3 and £5. This rise to 30% for the youngest consumers (16-24) and 32% for those aged 25-34.

But there are limits on their willingness to pay more for speedier delivery with only 11% of all consumers willing to pay between £5 and £10 extra. Perhaps surprisingly, the numbers were a bit higher for the youngest groups, despite the assumption that they might be the consumers with the lowest incomes.

So how are brands addressing this? Unfortunately, the research also claimed that those offering same-day delivery among the top 100 brands charge more than £12. With only 4% of shoppers prepared to spend £10-£15 on fast delivery for cosmetics, that’s clearly an issue.

Patrick Eve, CCO of Gophr, said: “The beauty industry is innovating at an incredible pace, giving consumers more and better ways to access products. Social media influencers, augmented reality try-ons and online tutorials with clickable product links to create looks at home are creating a new set of expectations. 

“Consumers see it and want it there and then, with products delivered directly to them in real time. However, most brands have yet to catch up with the immediate demand that their technology and marketing strategies are designed to trigger.”

Gophr’s analysis further revealed that multi-brand sellers are increasingly using same-day delivery to gain market share as they ramp up their online cosmetics and beauty businesses. Of the top 12 UK multi-brand retailers in this space, 50% offer same-day delivery as their earliest possible delivery option and a further 25% offer guaranteed next-day.

ASOS, Cult Beauty, LookFantastic, Net-A-Porter, Selfridges and Superdrug all now offer same-day delivery on cosmetics and beauty purchases.