Value-added cosmetics and beauty fulfillment services for D2C beauty brands

[Updated post from June 8, 2021]

The D2C beauty industry experiencing an explosion in growth as consumers increasingly favor a one-on-one relationship with their favorite beauty brands. A Statista survey in 2019 revealed that 52% of U.S. consumers had purchased health and beauty products from a D2C brand. Moreover, it's projected that direct to consumer sales will account for nearly one-third of total retail sales by cosmetics companies by 2026.

Therefore, it's crucial that your beauty fulfillment strategy can scale effectively in response to consumer demand. By partnering with a 3PL that specializes in cosmetics fulfillment, you can continue to offer a positive customer experience that inspires brand loyalty and ensures the safety of your merchandise.

E-commerce fulfillment for cosmetics and beauty products entails proper handling of a wide range of products, from hair care products to cosmetics, skin care products, and more. Each product requires tailored storage and handling strategy according to its unique climate requirements, with items picked, packed, and shipped with utmost care to avoid breakage or leaks.

This demands a specialized set of fulfillment services that may not be available through standard 3PL providers. This is why health and beauty brands should partner with a cosmetic fulfillment company that is equipped to navigate the challenges - and opportunities - of the beauty industry.

Common fulfillment challenges for cosmetics and beauty brands

Difficulty scaling

Any cosmetics company needs to be able to handle sizeable fluctuations in demand. Beauty is a dynamic market characterized by micro-trends that routinely affect the popularity of different cosmetics products, making it challenging to forecast demand accurately using traditional methods. It's essential to have highly responsive inventory management and warehousing systems that can proactively adapt to changing demand for different SKUs.

High SKU complexity

Beauty and cosmetics products boast a high number of SKU variations to account for different shades, sizes, and finishes. Additionally, a cosmetics fulfillment company must design a storage and picking strategy that factors in expiration dates to avoid unnecessary shrinkage. SKUs with a slower turnover require careful inventory sequencing methods, such as FIFO (First In, First Out) and FEFO (First Expired, First Out) to ensure integrity when preparing for shipment.

Storage and handling requirements

Many cosmetics and beauty products are classified as hazardous goods, which means additional storage, packaging, and shipping requirements. This may include climate-controlled warehousing and in-rack sprinkler systems for flammable products, such as fragrances or aerosol products. Many cosmetic products are restricted to ground shipping, which requires careful management of carrier relationships to keep costs down.

Incorporating value-added services

E-commerce has reshaped consumer expectations regarding the shopping experience, especially in discretionary categories like beauty. Customers purchasing cosmetics often place a premium on appearance, and expect brands to make them feel special and valued.

The order fulfillment process is full of valuable touchpoints that increase the perceived value of a purchase. Custom packaging, free samples, and specialized kitting are all important strategies for beauty brands to differentiate themselves from competitors. However, implementing these value-added services at scale requires highly streamlined packing processes to avoid slowdowns in the order fulfillment process.

Choose the right cosmetics fulfillment services to effectively scale

In-house cosmetics fulfillment is a viable strategy for managing small order volumes. But when demand begins to climb, the fulfillment and shipping process presents an ongoing challenge to beauty brands. Finding suitable warehousing, managing inventory, and ensuring compliance with handling and shipping requirements is expensive and time-consuming to coordinate independently.

Choosing a fulfillment partner with staff that are trained in cosmetics fulfillment ensures that health and beauty products receive the correct storage, labeling, and shipping to prevent unnecessary delivery delays or costs. Moreover, a fulfillment company that can help you maintain your brand aesthetic and storytelling is a powerful strategy to enhance the post-purchase experience.

Ryder E-commerce: Delivering memorable experiences that increase customer satisfaction

Ease of scaling

No matter whether you're handling 2500 or 25,000+ orders per month, Ryder E-commerce's flexible technology stack makes it possible to accommodate seamless cosmetics fulfillment for both emerging and established D2C beauty brands. Our entirely custom pricing plans mean that your business only pays for the beauty fulfillment services you need – and nothing you don't.

Powerful multi-node cosmetics fulfillment

Partnering with Ryder E-commerce for your beauty fulfillment needs gives you access to our nationwide footprint of state-of-the-art fulfillment centers. Maintaining product integrity is easy thanks to our network of climate-controlled fulfillment centers. We provide your beauty and cosmetics products with optimum storage conditions, including advanced humidity and temperature control to ensure FDA compliance and a high-quality product.

Self-service returns

Streamlined reverse logistics are tricky for every e-commerce brand, but especially for beauty products that may require extensive repackaging or reconditioning to be resold. We work with you to build a fully configurable returns workflow that is appropriate for your business and product range.

Seamless integration with your online store

Advanced integration between your digital storefront and your beauty fulfillment company is essential for responsive cosmetics fulfillment. Ryder offers native integrations with major ecommerce platforms including Shopify for real-time visibility and control over your orders and inventory levels. 

Equipped with our proprietary inventory management system, you'll never have to worry about losing track of SKU variants or expiration dates. Our advanced lot control makes FEFO or FIFO sequencing easy to implement – all from one interface.

Robust shipping capabilities

When customers place an order, they expect to receive their goods on time. Ryder E-commerce's intelligent SmartRate selection tool compares rates from multiple shipping carriers and services in real time. We can tailor the perfect cosmetics shipping strategy that matches all your business's requirements for cost and speed.

Create memorable customer experiences

In the beauty industry, unboxing experiences have become a sought-after touchpoint that places a capstone on the customer journey. The surprise and delight of opening a gift-like package is a powerful strategy for fostering loyalty and customer retention.

Our beauty fulfillment solutions are designed to accommodate extensive customization so you can deliver orders with style, including branded packaging, branded packing slips, and complete kitting services for the likes of influencer kits and subscription boxes. The Ryder system also enables you to set custom packing rules for orders containing certain SKUs with a single click, giving you unparalleled flexibility and control over the post-purchase experience.

Ready to scale your beauty brand with Ryder E-commerce?

No matter whether you're an emerging or an established beauty brand, Ryder E-commerce is a reliable fulfillment partner for the cosmetics industry and beyond. Find out more about cosmetics fulfillment with Ryder E-commerce today.