NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The holiday
shopping season is upon us and Americans all over the country are
making their lists, checking them twice, and hitting their favorite
shops. A recent Harris Poll examined Americans' shopping habits
surrounding grooming and cosmetic staples and found that, while
online shopping certainly has its role, many products may be better
suited to brick and mortar shopping. However, it's not always all
about location. At the end of the day, price reigns supreme over
purchase location as nearly 9 in 10 Americans say once they find a
product they like, they'll buy it wherever they can get the best
price (87%).
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll®
of 2,223 U.S. adults surveyed online between September 19 – October 3,
2016, including 2,088 purchasers of cosmetic and grooming
products. Complete results of the study can be found here.
Popular purchase channels
Since 2014, in-person
merchants continue to be the most common purchase location. In
total, around 9 in 10 purchasers shop in person for hair styling
products (91%), shampoos and conditioners (91%), cosmetics (90%),
non-sunscreen products with SPF protection (89%), and sunscreen
(87%). Specifically, "big box" retailers remain the top purchase
location for all of the cosmetic and beauty products surveyed. A
majority of purchasers of hair styling products (59%),
shampoos/conditioners (59%), non-sunscreen products with SPF
protection (57%), sunscreen (56%), and hair color products (51%)
turn to "big box" retailers.
Retail stores are also the top merchant for cosmetic (50%) and
facial/skin care product (49%) purchasers. For nearly all products,
pharmacies and grocery stores round out the top three purchase
locations, including shampoos/conditioners, facial/skin care
products, sunscreen, non-sunscreen SPF products, hair color, and
hair styling products.
Cosmetics in particular see much greater variety in purchase
locations than other products. Pharmacies (39%), department stores
(23%), specialty beauty product merchants (23%), and online
specialty beauty merchants (22%) round out the top five after "big
box" retailers (50%) for cosmetics.
Online merchants
In total, online purchases are
most popular for cosmetics (40%) and facial/skin care products
(34%). Around 3 in 10 also turn online for hair styling products
(29%), hair color products (28%), and non-sunscreen SPF products
(28%). Online channels are less popular for sunscreen (22%) and
shampoo and/or conditioner (17%) purchases.
Online mass merchandisers are the most popular online channel
for the majority of products surveyed (facial/skin care products
19%, non-sunscreen products with SPF protection 15%, sunscreen 15%,
hair styling products 14%, hair color products 12%, and shampoos
and/or conditioners 12%), with the exception of cosmetics, where
online specialty beauty products merchants land in first (22%).
Sixteen percent of product purchasers say they're buying more from
online mass merchandisers than they were 2-3 years ago.
Purchase drivers
When it comes to new products,
however, in-person purchasing remains popular as 66% say they're
more likely to purchase health or cosmetic products in-person when
there are new products they want to try. Further, 57% agree that
since computer screen colors vary, it's important to buy products
in-person when buying for the first time.
On the other hand, some products are simply more suited for
purchasing in person, such as cosmetics. Three in 10 say they like
to have an associate show how to use a cosmetic product properly
when shopping in person (30%). Online shopping has its own perks as
well, as nearly 6 in 10 say they like being able to see grooming
and/or cosmetic product reviews online (57%).
To see other recent Harris Polls, please visit our website,
TheHarrisPoll.com.
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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted
online, in English, within the United
States between September 19 –
October 3, 2016 among 2,223 adults
(aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity,
education, region and household income were weighted where
necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in
the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust
for respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use
probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error
which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate,
including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with
nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response
options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The
Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are
misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible
sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted,
random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical
because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who
have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have
been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population.
Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in
our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be
calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure
of the National Council on Public Polls.
The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in
advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written
permission of The Harris Poll.
Product and brand names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
The Harris Poll® #66,
December 1, 2016
By
Allyssa Birth, Senior Research
Analyst, The Harris Poll
About The Harris Poll®
Begun in
1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys
measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded
throughout the world. The nationally representative polls,
conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions,
behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended
polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the
economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology,
sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For
more information, or to see other recent polls, please visit our
new website, TheHarrisPoll.com.
Press Contact:
Corporate Communications
The Harris Poll
585-272-8400
Press.TheHarrisPoll@Nielsen.com
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SOURCE The Harris Poll