Health & beauty crowned strongest growing market in March

A study by ChannelAdvisor has found that health and beauty e-commerce GMV spiked last month as consumers were forced to stay indoors due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to the study, the health and beauty industry has seen year-on-year growth that spiked in mid-March, which marks the time when lockdowns were enforced and salons forced to close for the foreseeable future. Since the spike, the category continues to run ahead of where it was earlier in the year in e-commerce.

Hand sanitisers have continued to show significant year-on-year growth, with a significant increase in early February followed by an astronomical increase in early March. Hand washes, as well as over-the-counter remedies, also had increased year-over-year growth beginning in early March but began to taper off entering April.

Vitamins, supplements and herbs/botanicals appear to be considered essentials by consumers and year-over-year growth has remained strong. Growth peaked in mid-March but remained above the category average throughout the first part of April.

When looking at more discretionary categories within the health and beauty industry, the data from ChannelAdvisor has found that a ‘recovery’ has begun, with a spike in year-over-year growth in nail care being witnessed. This indicates that consumers are taking nail care into their own hands in lockdown, seeing clients partake in home manicures and pedicures as nail salons have closed.

Year-over-year growth in the subcategories ‘hair colour’ and ‘clippers/trimmers’ has also increased since mid-to-late March.

To follow the report, ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on E-Commerce’ by ChannelAdvisor, head to www.channeladvisor.com