UX of an online cosmetics store: what affects sales

It is believed that the real key to sales is having a high-quality product combined with an effective advertising campaign. But is this really true in practice? As an example, we can consider a cosmetics website. Owners of such online stores often face the problem of losing potential customers. At the same time, they offer a diverse range of cosmetic products and have good traffic. So what is the reason?

The main reason for the decrease in sales may be hidden in the inconvenient use of the website’s entire functionality and structure. This is exactly about user experience (UX). If a user visits an online store and cannot quickly understand the filter system to find the desired product, cannot compare several items with each other, or quickly place an online order, they leave the page. Therefore, in the process of creating an online store, it is important to consider a specific list of UX elements that directly affect sales.

Website structure and navigation

A well-thought-out and maximally simple online store structure is considered the foundation of successful UX. Every new user should clearly understand that they are looking at a cosmetics online store and how to quickly find the product section they need.

For a cosmetics website, this aspect is especially important because it helps to:

Divide all categories according to a logical structure. For example, face care products are presented separately, while hair care, body care, and other products are grouped separately as well (this is implemented this way in the Be Bloom project).
Offer additional grouping options. For example, cosmetics can be divided by brand, specific concern, skin type, and more.
Use special buttons so the user can quickly return back to where they came from.
Provide quick access to sections that belong to the most popular categories among consumers. These may include promotional offers, products from well-known brands, special store offers, and much more.

If there is no logic in the website structure, and the product catalog is too overloaded, the user will need much more time to find the required items. As a result, there is a high probability that the user will leave the website without getting what they wanted, while the online store owner will lose profit and a potential customer.

Catalog and filters

The catalog of an online store is compared to a full-fledged showcase of a real store, where the buyer can come and view the entire current assortment. When developing UX design, special attention should be paid to the catalog so that new users can navigate it as conveniently as possible. Future conversion depends on this.

The key elements of high conversion include:

The presence of filters that allow products to be classified by skin type, desired effect, composition, price range, or brand.
Well-thought-out sorting. Products can be sorted by price, rating, novelty, and popularity among buyers.
Visual design. High-quality content is also essential, so it is necessary to select relevant images and create a unified style for all product cards.
A quick product preview option, when it is not necessary to open a separate cosmetics page to learn about important characteristics and features.

The entire filter system must work smoothly and reliably, remaining active regardless of the user’s actions. After all, one of the most common mistakes of online stores is resetting filters when moving to a product page or performing other actions, which forces users to configure them again.

Product page

Product pages are considered a key point for making a decision about buying cosmetics online. This is another important proof that the design of a beauty store website and the convenience of using it directly affect future conversion.

A standard product page should contain the following set of mandatory elements:

A description of the cosmetic product with all necessary details — composition, effect, and method of use.
High-quality and real product photos — preferably several angles of the packaging, as well as a photo of the texture.
Reviews from customers who have already purchased the cosmetics and are ready to share their impressions.
A block with useful recommendations — usually called “customers also buy with this product” or similar relevant options.
Information about whether the product is in stock and how to order it, including delivery terms.
A “Buy” button placed in a clearly visible location.

The chance of a successful cosmetics purchase depends on the number of questions the buyer has: the fewer questions there are, the higher the probability of purchase.

Mobile version

Today, an increasing amount of traffic comes from mobile devices. Users most often order cosmetics using smartphones and tablets, making purchases outside the home: at work, on the way home, or while resting. To avoid losing good sales opportunities, store owners should take care of responsive design. As a result, the website will be convenient to use even on a small screen.

When figuring out how to sell cosmetics online, several additional key requirements are also highlighted:

The presence of main buttons that are visually noticeable when visiting any page. All tap areas should be convenient.
Fast loading of any page — all page elements should be loaded with the specifics of mobile networks in mind.
The simplest possible navigation, which users do not need to spend much time getting familiar with.
A minimum number of steps from discovering a cosmetic product to purchasing it online. The more steps a buyer has to take, the more time they have to think about whether they really need this product.

Mobile UX is not just a reduced version of the desktop option. It should be a separate and well-thought-out usage scenario. To understand the main nuances of such design, it is enough to read the article “What responsive website design is and why an online store does not sell without it: 5 common mistakes”.

Checkout process

Sales at the final stages, when the buyer has already chosen a specific cosmetic product, often stop because of a poor checkout.

Therefore, several elements from the “critically important” category are highlighted:

A minimum number of steps to complete the main action — ordering the product.
The ability to make an online purchase without mandatory registration on the website.
Several payment methods, among which the user can choose the most convenient one.
A clear registration and online purchase form — it is important to avoid a large number of unnecessary fields.
Automatic data filling, which speeds up the process of completing all fields.
Accessible information about delivery and the real product cost. The client should be given maximum transparency, which will certainly build trust in the store.

Thus, the following relevant rule applies: the simpler and faster the online order process is, the lower the probability of refusal from the user as a potential customer.

Personalization

How can UX be made even stronger? For this, personalization approaches and methods are used, allowing the online store to easily “adapt” to a specific user.

Examples include recommendations for website visitors based on previously viewed products, as well as special selections for solving a specific problem, such as cosmetics for dry or oily skin.

Additionally, the history of viewed products can be saved so that, if necessary, the user can return to them again. A developed system of personal discounts and promotional offers also deserves special attention.

The use of all the listed personalization approaches and methods is especially useful in the beauty industry, since the choice and purchase of cosmetic products often depend on the individual characteristics of each consumer.

Help with choosing

Cosmetics belong to complex categories, so users often need help at any stage of choosing and buying a specific product.

When creating an online store, several additional elements can be added:

Interesting guides on how to choose a particular product to solve a specific problem, for example, how to choose products for pigmentation.
Blog articles on various topics that are most often related to current questions from buyers.
Video reviews of popular products or new arrivals.
FAQ with popular customer questions and detailed answers to them.
Comparison of several products based on main criteria.

All this significantly simplifies the further product selection process. Additionally, you can read useful information in the article “How to choose a CMS for an online store”.

Conclusion: UX of a cosmetics online store is a key sales factor

You can create a cosmetics online store using a template. But in this case, a powerful advertising campaign and quality products cannot always compensate for poor user experience.

Therefore, it is important to analyze the future structure of such a website and understand how to make it as convenient as possible for every user. After all, sales growth is directly related to such factors as:

quick search for the required product;
convenient comparison of several options with each other;
simple decision-making regarding the purchase;
fast order placement — in just a few clicks.

Investments in UX are primarily investments in conversion, increased loyalty, and repeat purchases, when the user returns to the website again and again.