Australian online beauty destination, Oz Hair & Beauty, has revealed through its sales figures how significantly consumer purchases shifted during social restrictions and shutdowns.
Oz Hair & Beauty is one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing online stores for premium hair, beauty and skincare products – averaging 533,000 unique visitors a month. And now, it has released its customer transaction growth figures during social restrictions (April 1 to September 30, 2020), compared with the same time last year, to provide an insight into how consumer purchase behaviour has changed.
Oz Hair & Beauty founder and managing director, Anthony Nappa, said “As bricks-and-mortar retailers and salons around the country shut down or followed tight restrictions from late March, consumers turned to online purchases for convenience, to keep them safe from the virus, and to access products they could no longer get in person. We saw a surge in sales across hair colour products and male hair clippers.
We also saw a significant increase in face masks, candles and skincare as Aussies stayed in. In fact, bath and body products were our biggest selling category. I think consumers regard these kinds of self-care purchases – and self-care rituals – as a way to look after their mental health, not only their bodies.
We have generally seen growth across all categories, but it’s notable that demand for a few categories skyrocketed. We believe the growth will continue this year, although a little less strongly, if community transmission becomes negligible and people have more confidence to step into salons.”
Below, Oz Hair & Beauty reveals seven online purchase trends from April to October, 2020 (compared with April to October, 2019):
1. Hair salon closures resulted in hair colour sales soar by 248%, and men’s hair clippers by 273%. Hairdressers closed in Victoria under stage four lockdown, but many salons closed voluntarily across the country for several weeks, to keep the public safe.
As a result, Oz Hair & Beauty saw cut and colour products and hair appliances fly off the shelves. There was a 248% increase in purchases on semi-permanent hair colour and root touch-ups. Transactions for hair appliances grew 217%, with Victorians making more purchases than other states (a 248% increase). Hair clippers were the top-selling men’s product category overall – transactions grew by 273%t nationally. Meanwhile, demand for men’s styling products remained steady, even throughout the shutdowns.
2. Sales of Australian-brand products grew nearly 200%. The pandemic has led to a boost in support for Australian businesses. Oz Hair & Beauty saw a 198% increase in purchases for Australian brands.
3. The body and bath category saw the biggest spike in sales – a near-300% growth in transactions. As Australians spent more time at home since late-March, online transactions for bath and body products such as body lotion, shower gel, waxing kits, eye masks and essential oils saw a 294% increase in online transactions. Victoria – which has been in Stage three or four lockdown the entire period – was responsible for the biggest growth in transactions in this category (up 312%).
4. Hair care experienced 178% growth as consumers chose to DIY. Hair salon closures and strict restrictions resulted in a 178% increase in sales of hair styling, shampoo and hair treatment products and hair tools. Again, the largest spike in transactions was in Victoria (a 207% increase), followed by Tasmanians (177%) and then NSW residents (170%).
5. New customers grew by 179%. The shutdowns motivated many consumers who normally purchase in store, to purchase online for the first time. Oz Hair & Beauty saw a 179% increase in new customer purchases. As a result, the business was required to increase the size of its warehouse team and doubled its customer service team to cope with demand.
6. Skincare experienced the second-highest growth in sales – at 263%. Consumer purchases across skincare – the second-highest growth category – surged 263%. Growth was highest in Victoria (at 315%), followed by NSW residents (278% growth). Face masks and beauty tools such as eyebrow kits and waxing products were the most popular products in this category.
7. The makeup category saw the lowest growth in transactions – 142%. With people confined to their homes, makeup was likely regarded by consumers as an unnecessary purchase. This category saw the smallest spike in transactions (at 142%), with sales in Victoria among the lowest in the country (130%).
