What Does Beauty Fulfilment Best Practice Look Like ?
The cosmetics and beauty sector has had an excellent few years of growth, and it’s expected to rise by a further 21.6 billion dollars over the next 3 years. The industry has been fuelled by increasing consumer demand for online shopping and convenience, as well as advancements in technology and digital marketing. As a result, Prolog has seen an increase in brands choosing our cosmetics and beauty fulfilment services.
Most of the brands we work with are either high volume brands, or medium-sized companies looking to scale. What’s clear is that the shift to online sales has benefited newer brands that find themselves able to compete with the big brands in a way that was unthinkable just a few years ago. Neilsen’s 2021 Future of Beauty Report showed that the largest 20 beauty brands now generate only 14% of total sales.
Beauty Fulfilment – Industry Specific Challenges
Prolog Fulfilment is an established 3pl partner to a range of beauty brands, which means we understand the specific challenges this sector presents for fulfilment, namely inventory, storage, shipping, and returns management.
1. Inventory Management
Many beauty products contain natural and perishable ingredients, such as organic products; it’s critical therefore to pay close attention to the best-before date. In order to guarantee freshness and prevent waste, Prolog uses inventory management to ensure that stock is replenished regularly, and older products are shipped first.
2. Organic and Sustainable Cosmetics Storage
As consumers demonstrate increased eco-awareness, cosmetics, beauty, and hygiene products made from natural and sustainable ingredients are becoming a major trend. Organic products can present difficulties for online retailers in terms of storing, packaging, and shipping them. Overcoming these challenges depends on close monitoring, integral quality management, and precise tracking.
3. Storage Temperature
Organic products require segregated storage and environment controls. For many cosmetic and beauty products, storage at the correct temperature is vital to their quality and lifespan. The optimal temperature for most beauty products falls within the range of 15-20°C.
4. Packaging and Design
The packaging and design of cosmetics and beauty fulfilment products is central to customer satisfaction. Packaging for this sector needs to be sustainable and attractive. There’s a growing trend for personalised beauty products and services, and this is something we’re providing as a value add for a number of our 3pl clients.
Unboxing is at a premium when it comes to the beauty sector; often items are awaited impatiently, and shoppers are looking for an experience they can share once their product arrives. Poor packaging is as likely to be shared on social media as a great unboxing experience.
5. Subscription Boxes
eCommerce subscription allows cosmetic and beauty businesses to increase Customer Lifetime Value and develop brand loyalty. Clients entrust Prolog Fulfilment with the monthly management of beauty box subscriptions. This involves the creation of numerous kit variations that cater to specific customer demands, and promotional materials are included to complement particular branded products.
6. Fast Delivery by Default
Speedy delivery is an integral part of beauty fulfilment. Customers expect it, and Prolog Fulfilment has an infrastructure that’s designed to deliver. We understand that purchases are often made spontaneously, or in response to a specific requirement, and the expectation is, therefore, that the product will arrive promptly, accurately and in perfect condition.
7. Returns Management
Around 4% of all eCommerce returns are beauty products. A particular challenge for beauty fulfilment is managing returns, as many of the products won’t be able to be resold. eCommerce clients in this sector tend to offer flexible returns policies, because they know that when shoppers find the right product, they’ll stay faithful to their brand.
Prolog Returns Management plays its part by tracking all returns, and the reasons given for them. Repeat issues are analysed and flagged to clients. In this way we’re able to help enhance quality for customers and minimise returns.
Cosmetics and Beauty Fulfilment From Prolog
Prolog is an established provider of fulfilment services for the cosmetics and beauty industry. Which means we have an established infrastructure, and streamlined processes from goods in, through inventory to storage, picking, packing, shipping and returns management.
Our Warehouse Management System gives you total transparency for your orders, even if you need sight of a number of fulfilment locations. Tracking data is collated, analysed, and used as the basis of regular reporting to out 3pl partners.
We invest regularly in the business, in order to offer partners all they need in order to scale successfully. Most recently we have grown our personalisation capability, and we’re a carbon neutral company that’s on track to meet our Net Zero target.
Ready to Scale?
If you’re looking for a 3pl partner to help you scale successfully, Prolog Fulfilment would love to talk to you. We’re established providers of cosmetic and beauty fulfilment, with a growing range of value-added services designed to support your growth. Every client receives our undivided attention, and the fulfilment process we provide is, of course, bespoke.
