Lush brings subscription service to the UK

14-Aug-2017 - Last updated on 15-Aug-2017 at 14:16 GMT

Lush has been running a successful product subscription service in the US, and has announced it will now roll it out across the UK.

The service is described as ‘fully customisable’, with customers able to select exactly which products (there are a few exceptions) and how often they want their subscription to be.

The move by Lush into subscriptions comes as another shakeup is taking place in the mail order beauty space in the UK: Glossybox has just been acquired by The Hut Group.

This activity around this retail channel suggests investors and brands are confident that subscription services hold potential for growth in the period ahead.

Ecommerce beauty: hassle-free

The move by Lush to facilitate a lower-hassle, e-retail experience seems pertinent: a recent report found that beauty sales on major ecommerce platform Amazon are up an average of 43% across five core markets.

Across the US, UK, Germany, Canada and France, the report by One Click Retail found, consumers are increasingly turning away from in-store shopping and towards the convenience of online purchases.

Less experiential, more convenience

It’s a striking growth, considering how important the sensorial, experiential element has traditionally been in beauty and personal care retail.

The report’s authors note that this has, as a consequence, previously made beauty a challenging market for Amazon.

“The beauty market has always been a challenging one for Amazon. The cosmetics industry relies so heavily on experiential retail (free samples are proven to influence purchase decisions) that eCommerce can't compete at the same level as it does in most other product group,” the report confirms.

Now, however, it seems as if a real shift in consumer behaviour may be taking place. “For the most part, when consumers buy mass market skin care products they know the brands they like and they stick to them—making Amazon the perfect place to shop,” the report declares.

For Lush, a brand particularly known for its in-store experiential element, responding to these consumer buying behaviour shifts is essential. The subscription service launch suggests it’s investing in doing just that.