1. Beauty is in the Eye
of the Blog Holder
What influences women to purchase beauty products?
Jane Collins Stephanie Smirnov
BlogHer-Director of Market Research DeVries-President
jane@blogher.com ssmirnov@devries-pr.com
2. Objective
To probe for user behaviors involving beauty and
personal care products:
๏ Brand preferences
๏ Online vs. Offline purchasing
๏ Influence of media sources on beauty
product purchasing
๏ Influence of blog vertical on beauty
product purchasing
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3. Methodology
In October 2010, BlogHer Inc. in partnership with
DeVries, fielded a 25 question survey across 25
million BlogHer network users:
๏ Sample size: 1,074 total women
๏ Geographically dispersed
throughout U.S. by region
๏ Age breaks:
48% 18-34,
31% 35-44,
13% 45-54
๏ Blog participation:
76.4% Write and read blog(s)
16.6% Read but don’t write blog(s)
7.1% Write at least one blog
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5. BlogHer community mirrors the general population
when it comes to attitudes about beauty products
Source: Women the Web and Their Wallets, US Total Population: N = 689; BlogHer N = 761
“What sources do you use for research about cosmetic and beauty supplies?”
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7. The store beats the web 4 for 1 for
beauty product purchases
We want to see it,
feel it, smell it
Online purchases for cosmetics were actually higher
among older women (15%) than younger (11%)
Q: “Tell us where you purchased personal care and
beauty products last 30 days” N = 882
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8. At the store: Discount stores win
Offline Purchases
Q: “Where do you purchase cosmetics and beauty supplies offline?”
(Select all that apply) N = 866
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9. Online: Shopping by brands win
Online Purchases 17%
18.0% 17%
16.0%
14.0%
12.0%
10.0%
8.0% 7%
6.0% 5%
4.0% 3%
2.0%
0.0%
Branded Multi-Product Other Drugstore Dept. Store
Beauty Site Site (e.g. Site Site
Amazon)
Q: “Where do you purchase most of your cosmetics and beauty supplies online?”
(Select all that apply) N = 844
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10. Cost, efficiency and scale
drive online shopping
Online Shopping Advantages
But offline still wins
Older women (45-54)
gave “Quicker-More
Efficient” an even
higher (25.0%) #1
response
Q: “What appeals to you most about purchasing hair, skin or
cosmetic products online?” N = 758
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11. Recommendations and savings
motivate shoppers
#1 Promotion or Free Sample
#2 Recommendation from offline friend
#3 Review from a known blogger
#4 Discounted prices
#5 Top user generated reviews from an online review site
Out of Ten Choices
Q: “Which of the following motivates you to buy a new beauty product?” N = 758
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13. Familiar bloggers are the most
helpful resource online
“Which resource is
most helpful to
provide beauty
product advice and
recommendations?”
Q: “Which resources provide the most helpful advice and recommendations to assist
with purchase decisions about beauty products?” N = 790
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14. Other resources used frequently
to research beauty products
Top 2 Box: Frequently/All the Time
Magazines are still used…
Results for beauty
product searches for
spouse and children
were directionally
similar
Q: “How frequently do you use the following resources to research
beauty products for yourself?” N = 734
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15. Bloggers are the new tastemakers
“Do you consider
bloggers as a resource
for beauty product
recommendations as
much as a magazine
writer or editor?”
Q: “Do you consider bloggers as a resource for beauty product recommendations
as much as a magazine writer or editor?” N = 698
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16. And it’s not just beauty bloggers
Half say they have Beauty Product Purchase Based On:
purchased a cosmetic
product based on a
recommendation from a
blogger who writes about
topics other than beauty
Q=“Have you ever purchased a hair care, skin care or cosmetic product based on a
recommendation from a blogger who wrote about something other than beauty products
(e.g. Lifestyle, Entertainment or Parenting)?” N = 782
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17. Blogger recommendations lead to great results
“I purchased a mascara from a
“Life” blogger. I asked the question
on Twitter and I checked products 423 respondents
out from the responses I received” took the time
to leave open
“I bought a ended comments
“There’s a great blog foundation and eye (mostly positive)
called Happy Girl Hair shadows at the about purchases
that gives moms tips recommendation of a based on blog
on styling AA hair. fellow mother of recommendations
Since my daughter is multiples blogger. I
adopted from Ethiopia love the products and
and I’m facing a steep trust her opinion”
learning curve, I’ll
buy just about “I have bought several cosmetic products
anything she because of a recommendation by a beauty
recommends!” blogger and clothes recommended by
fashion and DIY blogger.”
Q: If you’ve purchased a beauty product based on the recommendation of a blogger,
tell us the product, what kind of blogger, and what the experience was like” N = 423
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18. Blogs are 2.5x more likely to drive beauty
product purchase than magazines
“Over the last 6 months,
which resource was more
likely to cause you to
make a beauty product
purchase?”
Q: “Over the last 6 months, which resource was more likely to cause
you to make a beauty product purchase?” N = 698
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20. Multiple blog verticals give advice
about beauty products
Top 2 Box: Frequently/All the Time
Blog verticals that
readers turn to for
beauty product
advice and
recommendations
Q: “How often do you turn to the following types of blogs for
beauty product recommendations?” N = 585
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21. And many verticals are highly trusted
when giving that advice
Top 2 Box: Usually/Completely
Blog verticals that
readers trust the
most for beauty
product advice and
recommendations
Q: “How much do you trust the following types of blogs for beauty
product recommendations?” N = 599
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22. Diverse blog writers devote a significant
portion of their content to the beauty topic
% of time various
blog of individual blog
% verticals are
also writing about
category writers
who are beauty
also
blogging about
beauty
Source: 2010 BlogHer Social Media Matters study, N= 912
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23. Trend-hunting favors different
blog verticals
Rank Order by Category
#1: Fashion and Beauty
#2: Lifestyle
#3: Celebrity
#4: Health and Wellness
#5: Parenting
#6: Green and Ecology
#7: Food
Q: “Rank the following blogs according to where you would be most likely to go
to find what is hot and seasonal about beauty trends?” N = 701
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25. Key Findings
Women buy beauty products offline at a rate four
times greater than online. Women research
online and buy offline.
Familiar bloggers are more helpful (61%) for
providing beauty product advice than store
websites (46%), social networks (33%) or
message boards (20%).
Women are just as likely to trust the beauty
product advice from a Parenting (43%), Health
(42%) or Lifestyle (37%) blog as from a Beauty
and Fashion blog (43%).
Blogs are more than two times more likely
(63%) than magazines (26%) to have inspired a
beauty product purchase over the last six months.
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27. Favorite beauty brands:
All respondents
Top 3 Favorite Skin Care Brands Top 3 Favorite Hair Care Brands
#1 Clinique #1 Aveda
#2 Neutrogena #2 Suave
#3 Aveeno #3 Pantene
Top 3 Favorite Cosmetic Brands
#1 Clinique
#2 Cover Girl
#3 Maybelline
Q: Skin: N = 833; Hair: N=827; Cosmetics: N = 824
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28. Favorite beauty brands:
Respondents with income at $100K+
Top 3 Favorite Skin Care Brands Top 3 Favorite Hair Care Brands
#1 Clinique #1 Aveda
#2 Olay #2 Pantene
#3 Aveeno #3 Redken
Top 3 Favorite Cosmetic Brands
#1 Mac
#2 Clinique
#3 Maybelline
Q: Skin: N = 833; Hair: N=827; Cosmetics: N = 824
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