Beauty is key category for lockdown shoppers to buy online, but fashion falls flat

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 1, 2020

Global online shopping order volumes have risen 88% this year with cosmetics a key category. That's according to traffic analysis by insight-based customer engagement specialist Mapp that compared the volumes by the end of March to those at the start of this year. The figures were reported by InternetRetailing.

Mapp said average order volumes have risen most for online retailers offering tools and building materials, with such e-tailers showing enormous 212% growth as consumers turn to DIY.

Meanwhile toys are up 90% as schools and nurseries close, and cosmetics have surged 64%. It’s unclear whether this is due people buying luxuries like make-up or everyday items like skincare and particularly hygiene essentials. We’ve already heard from NPD Group about how hand cleaning products have seen a boom on the back of a need for greater hygiene.

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Clothing is notably absent from Mapp’s list of rising categories with few people apparently turning online to buy products they can’t get any other way due to shuttered stores. That said, people are still buying. It said that by the end of March, average order volumes in clothing were constant.

However, sportswear and equipment orders have collapsed by as much as 45%.