A Study of Digital Shopping Behaviour of Women with Respect to Beauty and Personal Care Products

Abstract

The digital revolution has metamorphosised the way business to consumer (B2C) interfaces have been taking place. Extensive research has been undertaken to show that this is true of all industries and retail sectors with no exception. Even basic need industries like food, health care and education have now gone the e commerce way.

Until a few years ago certain industries like Beauty and personal care, thrived on the in, store experience of ‘touch, feel and smell’, making digital shopping in this industry a questionable alternative. However recent trends have proved that this industry is no exception to the digital storm.

This paper explores the Buyer behavior of Women consumers using online platforms with respect to their purchases of cosmetics and personal care products. It studies demographics of the women consumers in this industry, their buying patterns (product type, frequency etc) and customer needs and preferences that dominate this retail format. The paper establishes the demographic profile of the online consumer in this industry. It also explores the factors influencing choice of online medium of shopping for these products. It also identifies consumer expectations from an eCommerce website to make shopping a compelling experience.

The present study is timely and relevant as the beauty and personal care industry boasts of a customer base that is predominantly young and digitally plugged in. Hence these fashion connoisseurs are eager to explore the realm of online shopping that has distinct advantages of competitive pricing, convenient delivery, round the clock shopping, unlimited variety and most importantly information access. This industry has much to gain from an understanding of the buyer and her online shopping behavior.

Keywords: Beauty and Personal Care Industry, Digital Shopping, Buyer Behavior, Consumer Preferences, eCommerce Sites, Online Media