What’s Next for the In-Store Beauty Experience?

With online platforms from TikTok Shop to Amazon to SHEIN increasingly driving beauty discovery and offering convenience, the in-store beauty experience may need a revamp.

A recent survey of over 1,600 U.S. beauty shoppers from ChangeUp, a design agency, found 69% think beauty product shopping is overwhelming, pointing to an opportunity for better curation at the store level. Almost half think beauty trends change so quickly, and physical retail hasn’t caught up, while 63% wish beauty stores were about more than just buying products.

ChangeUp said with beauty shoppers still preferring to make final purchase decisions in-store, beauty shops should prioritize education, community, content creation, and personalization to serve multiple shopper profiles. ChangeUp said, “For brands looking to thrive in this new landscape: physical spaces must shift from transaction-focused to experience-rich destinations that don’t overwhelm shoppers. This must complement digital while providing unique value impossible to replicate online.”

NielsenIQ’s “Global Beauty Edit” study also found the increased use of theft prevention measures (e.g. locked shelves) as a newer turnoff to in-store beauty shopping. The consultancy found e-commerce has grown to account for 41% of all beauty and personal care sales in the U.S., led by Amazon and TikTok-driven social commerce.

“In-store retail is far from obsolete. Shoppers value tactile experiences and personalized consultations, particularly for high-investment products like skincare,” stated NielsenIQ. “Retailers must balance convenience with customer satisfaction. Investing in hybrid models—seamlessly integrating online discovery with in-store experience—will be critical.”

In-Store Retail Remains Strong in Beauty, Particularly Given Opportunities To Trial Products and Increase Tech Integration

A survey of 1,000 beauty shoppers last year from Outform, a retail marketing agency, found two-thirds are inspired when shopping in-store, yet 39% feel there’s not enough guidance or education around products. More than half (54%) of the respondents from the UK, U.S., France, and Germany cited improved opportunities to trial and test products as the change they would most like to see at beauty stores.

Outform’s survey respondents cited technology as important to access while shopping in-store for beauty with 83% expecting digital screens to help product exploration in-store and 72% open to scanning a QR code and share personal data to obtain a product trial.

“The arrival of AI-driven beauty tools is about to open up a whole new world of personalization for shoppers and drive the demand for discovery and understanding to ever greater heights,” said Clare Cryer, VP of Growth at Outform. “In-store shopper experiences are going to become even more central to communicating the sector’s innovations and crucial for ensuring shoppers can navigate their way through any potential confusion.”