Online shopping for beauty products has become the norm, but the physical in-store experience remains important for seeking advice and browsing.
This trend relates to the channels through which Thai shoppers choose to buy their facial beauty products.
As in the rest of the world, ecommerce has become more important in Thailand after COVID. Consumers have grown used to the convenience of being able to order what they want with a click. Online is no longer a new and exciting channel; it has become a habitual, everyday way for people to make purchases. It is already the number one channel for beauty, contributing 27% of the total market value.
Even though online traffic has slowed down following the two-year boom we witnessed during the pandemic, it was still higher in 2022 than in 2019, pre-COVID. This upward momentum will continue, so beauty brands must keep focused on their future strategy.
Ecommerce is no longer being driven by consumers from Generation Y and Generation X. Today, growth is coming from the youngest shoppers and Baby Boomers.
The online landscape is very fragmented, with each beauty shopper only using an average of 1.4 platforms or websites. While traditional platforms such as Facebook, Lazada and Shopee still dominate, new players including TikTok and e-retailers are rising fast. Each platform tends to capture a different group of shoppers.
To win in the online space, brands must be everywhere – leveraging diverse platforms to maximise consumer reach.
Offline traffic for beauty shopping in Thailand is still eight times higher than online traffic.
Neighbourhood stores that specialise in health and beauty – such as EVEANDBOY – remain very important to Thai shoppers. Not only do they provide easy access to products, due to their proximity to people’s homes, but they offer expert in-store advice and guidance too. They also run a lot of promotions to attract consumers.
While consumers tend to favour online channels when making repeat purchases, or when they know exactly what they want, bricks-and-mortar stores allow them to explore and try out new products.
Beauty brands cannot ignore offline channels – and the in-store experience continues to play an important role, especially for consumers who want to browse.
