Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK BPC Online Market Report 2023. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest BPC online market research, trends and consumer behaviours affecting your business. Get a 360° view of the online BPC market including market size, share and forecasted growth to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Topics Analysed in this Report
- The impact of the rising cost of living on online BPC market.
- Innovation and the influence of new technologies in the BPC online market.
- Factors that would encourage engagement in online beauty and grooming communities.
- Perceptions of and uses for social media in relation to beauty and grooming.
BPC Online Market Outlook
An impact of the cost of living crisis is that consumers have become more likely to turn to the online channel to seek out the best prices, which has boosted BPC sales in the channel, both in 2023 and 2024. However, smaller basket sizes and steeper discounts online could erode the value of the BPC market, signalling opportunities to offer value beyond price.
- BPC online market size: Mintel estimates that the value of BPC online market is worth £3.08 billion.
Online BPC Market Trends and Opportunities
Create synergy between the store and online
Physical retail still dominates BPC purchase activity, signalling an opportunity to enhance the in-store and online integration. Adopting a multichannel strategy can also educate in-store customers about online capabilities, with TikTok’s venture into physical retail in 2023 exemplifies this.
- Online BPC trend: 92% of consumers shopped in-store for BPC products in 2023, while 59% shopped online.
Promote exclusive benefits of shopping online
Interest in online beauty and grooming communities intensifies when exclusive perks, such as member-only pricing or access to private events, are offered. This presents a particular opportunity for the prestige beauty market. By emphasising the exclusivity of these products, brands can increase their appeal.
- Online BPC trend: 22% of consumers are encouraged by member-only prices and discounts.
Purchase our UK BPC Online Market Report to receive a five-year forecast, consumer behaviour analysis, and recommendations for market opportunities. Readers of this report may also be interested in our UK Women’s Facial Skincare Market Report, or our range of BPC Market Reports.
Companies Featured in the Full Report
TikTok, Amazon, Charlotte Tilbury, Face the Future, And Begin, Cult Beauty, Beauty Bay, Lookfantastic, Dermatica.
Expert Insights from a BPC Analyst
This report, written by Maddie Malone, a leading research analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight trends in the BPC online market and add expert context to the numbers.
Despite easing inflation, there’s room to sustain online BPC spend via exclusive benefits, whilst AI innovation, inspired by adjacent categories, is an opportunity.
Maddie Malone
Beauty and Personal Care Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Opportunities for the online BPC market
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: estimated market segmentation for online BPC, 2023
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 2: channels used to purchase BPC products in the last 12 months, 2022-23
- Graph 3: factors that encourage engagement with online beauty/grooming communities, Gen Z vs all respondents, 2023
- Innovation and marketing
- Graph 4: mentions of #GRWM and #GetReadyWithMe across social media in the UK, 2020-23
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Graph 5: market size for online BPC, 2017-23
- Market forecast
- Market segmentation
- Graph 6: estimated market segmentation for online BPC*, 2023
- Channels to market
- Graph 7: estimated online BPC retail sales, by channel, 2021-23
- Macro-economic factors
- Graph 8: CPI inflation rate, 2021-23
- Graph 9: attitudes towards shopping online, 2023
- Graph 10: factors* that encourage consumers to buy beauty/grooming product at full price rather than at a discounted price, 2023
- Graph 11: likely use of buy now, pay later options by category, 2022
- Graph 12: purchase of second-hand products in beauty/grooming, by household income, 2023
- Graph 13: year-on-year percentage change in total UK footfall, 2023
- Graph 14: predicted change in age structure of the UK population, 2023-28
- Graph 15: views of select hashtags on TikTok*, in billions, 2023
- Graph 16: views of select hashtags on TikTok*, in millions, 2023
- Graph 17: % of respondents who got inspiration for their beauty/grooming routine from social media in the last three months*, by age and gender, 2023
- Graph 18: attitudes towards delivery, collection and returns, 2023
- Graph 19: select associations with technology, 2022
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What Consumers Want and Why
- How consumers shop for BPC products
- Graph 20: channels used to purchase BPC products in the last 12 months, 2022-23
- Graph 21: how consumers* shopped for beauty/grooming products in the last 12 months, in-store vs online, 2023
- Graph 22: repertoire of beauty/grooming products bought online in the last 12 months, 2022 and 2023
- Channels used to purchase beauty products
- Graph 23: channels used to purchase beauty products in the last 12 months, by category, 2023
- Graph 24: online purchase of makeup products, by age and gender, 2023
- Channels used to purchase personal care products
- Graph 25: channels used to purchase personal care products in the last 12 months, by category, 2023
- Graph 26: repertoire of BPC products purchased, in-store vs online, 2023
- Usage of online beauty/grooming tools and services
- Graph 27: online beauty/grooming shopping tools and services used in the last 12 months, by ethnicity, 2023
- Graph 28: online beauty/grooming shopping tools and services used in the last 12 months, by repertoire of social media platforms used, 2023
- Barriers to using online beauty/grooming tools and services
- Graph 29: barriers to using online beauty/grooming shopping tools and services, 2023
- Graph 30: barriers to using online beauty/grooming shopping tools and services, by area, 2023
- The impact of social media on BPC
- Graph 31: the impact of social media on BPC, 2023
- Graph 32: % of consumers who say social media helps them find beauty/grooming products that work, by household income, 2023
- Factors that encourage engagement with online beauty/grooming communities
- Graph 33: factors that encourage engagement with online beauty/grooming communities, 2023
- Graph 34: factors that encourage engagement with online beauty/grooming communities, by repertoire of social media platforms used, 2023
- Attitudes toward shopping online for beauty/grooming products
- Graph 35: attitudes toward shopping online for beauty/grooming products, 2023
- Graph 36: % of consumers who agree that scanning a QR code to get extra information on a brand/product is too time consuming, by repertoire of social media platforms used, 2023
- Graph 37: % of consumers who agree that it is worth sharing detailed personal information to get more personalised product recommendations, by age and gender, 2023
- Barriers and incentives to shopping in-store and online for beauty/grooming products
- Graph 38: barriers and incentives to shopping in-store and online for beauty/grooming products, 2023
- Graph 39: % of consumers who agree that retailers should highlight in-store which products are trending on social media, by area, 2023
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Graph 40: mentions of #GRWM and #GetReadyWithMe across social media in the UK, 2020-23
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Brand Research
- Graph 41: usage and awareness of online BPC brands, 2023
- Graph 42: usage of online BPC brands in the last 12 months, by area, 2023
- Graph 43: frequency of online BPC brand usage in the last 12 months, 2023
- Graph 44: current intentions towards online BPC brands, 2023
- Graph 45: key metrics for select brands operating in BPC online, 2023
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Appendix
- Market data and forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Methodology
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