We have seen in previous articles that for selling cosmetics, some fundamental factors include innovative packaging and a well-organized site, with digital tools designed specifically for the world of beauty. However, many cosmetics are sold on sites that also offer other types of products, especially clothing. Let’s take an overview of the options, and of the possible advantages and disadvantages of selling in collaboration with a clothing brand.
Indice
Clothing sites that sell their own cosmetics
Whether someone is on the website of their favorite brand and looking for something new to wear, or simply taking a look at fashion trends, why not offer them cosmetics from the same brand? This has been realized by many fashion brands such as Zara, which offers its own range of cosmetics. Some brands, such as Bershka, label their cosmetics as “accessories”, thus limiting themselves to products to ‘wear’ such as fake nails or makeup bags.
Clothing sites that sell cosmetics from other brands
Consider how many women and men browse the pages of H&M, the Fast Fashion giant. It would clearly be a great platform for a beauty giant like L’Oréal Paris, which we do in fact find included among the site’s fifty brands, which includes big names, startups, and new Korean cosmetics brands, (very popular among the younger generation). The same goes for companies like Forever21, one of the most popular clothing sites among younger people.
Sites of large stores that offer cosmetics
The sites of large stores, such as Rinascente or Galeries Lafayette also offer cosmetic products, but usually only brands that are physically present in stores. Each store offers a variety of beauty products, all within an acceptable price range for its target audience. For example, the cosmetics brands available both on the OVS site and in their stores will be less expensive.
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The sites of fashion’s big names that also sell cosmetics
When it comes to high-fashion brands such as Gucci, their websites have subsections that are virtually an entire website on their own, and so we often find the beauty section is further divided into “chapters”. The Dior website, for example, offers Fragrances, Makeup and Treatments, due to the vast range of offers and the high value of each and every product.
The easiest cosmetics products to sell on clothing sites
There are many factors that determine the success or failure of online cosmetics sales. Some products are more suitable than others for selling on clothing websites, because they help to complete an outfit. Take for example perfumes, which are among the products that sell best alongside fashion. Some brands only sell perfume under their own brand, as in the case of newer fashion brand Alcott, as well as the Calvin Klein website, which complements its fashion range solely with its own unique fragrances.
Positives of selling cosmetics on clothing sites
- It expands the range of potential customers to a well-defined audience. For example, to reach a young target audience it is most helpful to work with a low-cost brand, whereas to sell niche and very expensive products it’s best to work with high-level brands.
- New selling opportunities are created. Often people browse these websites out of curiosity and cannot end every visit with a purchase. Cosmetics, usually considerably less expensive than clothing, can satisfy people’s urge to buy something but at lower cost.
- Usually, a larger order is more cost-effective. Customers that buy a piece of clothing can be invited to add a cosmetic product to their order so that they can save on the expense of a second order with another site.
- Cosmetics are marketed in any way you need them to be – whether as targeted toward the young, as low-cost, eco-friendly, alternative, refined – simply by associating it with a certain brand.
Negatives of selling cosmetics on clothing sites
- The product can become quite strongly associated with the brand. Which brand to work with must be chosen with great care to avoid ending up associated with a brand whose personality is too different from your own, as this communicates a false image to the public.
- In a brand’s selection, cosmetics are often relegated to the status of “accessories”, which makes them seem less important. It’s not for nothing that the high-fashion companies tend to keep their advertising and branding for each one separate – one for fashion and one for beauty products.
- The most popular brands or stores are definitely more difficult to approach, or may require a commission for putting the products up for sale.
