Quarterly Commerce Marketing Benchmarks for Beauty Brands
Overview and KPIs
Beauty brands operate in a dynamic, trend-driven category where shoppers move quickly between inspiration, research, and purchase across digital touchpoints. Understanding when, where, and how shoppers express purchase intent is critical for capturing demand, optimizing media spend, and driving conversions.
MikMak’s quarterly Beauty commerce marketing benchmarks provide a data-backed view of brand media trends, retailers displayed, and shopper intent across key global markets, helping brands contextualize performance and refine commerce-enabled activations across owned and paid channels.
This Q1 benchmark analysis is based on MikMak Shopping Index* data from January 1 to March 31, 2026.
The following proprietary MikMak Commerce KPIs were used:
- Purchase Intent Clicks
Measures high-intent shopper traffic by counting the number of times a shopper clicks through to at least one retailer during a single session within MikMak Commerce-enabled brand content. - Purchase Intent Rate
Measures the percentage of shoppers who click through to at least one retailer within MikMak Commerce-enabled brand content, signaling a strong conversion likelihood.
Q1 Beauty Commerce Marketing Highlights
- Accelerated Q1 re-engagement: Across North America, Spain, and Italy, shoppers engaged with the Beauty category much earlier than in 2025. January and February saw bigger spikes in traffic share compared to last year.
- Paid social vs search pivot: While paid social remains a leader in the US with an over 60% share of shopper traffic, Europe saw a significant shift toward search, following the year-end holiday campaigns.
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Conversion stability: Despite the post-holiday reset, brand websites maintained exceptionally high Purchase Intent Rates (up to 52% in France), proving that commerce-enabled owned channels are key to converting highly qualified, decisive shoppers.
United States
While 2025 saw activity build more slowly toward a February high, 2026 data indicates that Beauty shoppers in the US engaged much more at the very start of the year. Based on normalized data, January 2026 accounted for 41.4% of total quarterly shopper clicks to retailers. This suggests that "New Year" trends and early-season promotions successfully captured shopper interest.
Conversion likelihood remains stable across quarters
Brand websites maintained a strong Purchase Intent Rate of 47.7% in Q1 2026, nearly mirroring the 48.1% seen during the Q4 holiday peak.
While media intent saw a slight adjustment to 9.4% (down from 10.4%), it remained higher than the 2025 full-year average of 9.0%. This indicates that shoppable media continues to capture a highly motivated audience, likely driven by Valentine’s Day gifting too.
Search influence grows alongside paid social
Paid social remained the top traffic driver at 60.3% of shopper traffic, though its dominance decreased from 82.0% in Q4. This shift allowed organic search (20.0%) and paid search (15.5%) to nearly double their shares.
While Meta remains the primary platform at 57.6%, its share moderated as Google surged to 33.9% (up from 15.6%). Notably, Pinterest (1.9%) entered the top three, replacing TikTok.
Retailer mix highlights mass, department, and specialty leadership
Amazon strengthened its lead in the Beauty category, capturing 40.1% of Purchase Intent Clicks (up from 36.0% in Q4). Walmart and Target also saw significant growth, rising to 22.6% and 12.5%, respectively. This suggests that post-holiday shoppers are prioritizing the convenience and value associated with mass-market retailers for their daily Beauty essentials.
In contrast, department and specialty stores saw their shares moderate. Macy’s experienced a notable decrease from 13.5% to 2.7%, while Ulta shifted from 12.4% to 8.6%.
Canada
While 2025 saw the majority of Q1 activity concentrated in March (47.0%), the 2026 data indicates a shift toward much earlier engagement. Both January and February 2026 outperformed their 2025 counterparts, suggesting that Canadian Beauty shoppers were much quicker to re-engage with the category following the holiday season.
Media efficiency doubles as brand site intent stabilizes
Media Purchase Intent Rate saw a remarkable surge, reaching 6.7%. This is more than double the 3.3% recorded during the Q4 holiday peak and well above the 2025 full-year average of 3.2%.
This suggests that shoppable media campaigns in Canada were exceptionally effective at capturing high-intent shoppers during the post-holiday period.
Meanwhile, brand websites saw a slight moderation in Purchase Intent Rate, moving from 36.6% in Q4 to 32.3% in Q1. While this is a decrease from the holiday high, it remains close to the 2025 full-year average of 34.2%, indicating that owned channels continue to attract a consistently qualified audience.
Search overtakes social as the primary shopper traffic driver
Organic search moved into the top spot with a 45.0% share of Purchase Intent Clicks, while paid social saw its share decrease to 35.8% (down from 50.3% in Q4). Notably, paid search saw a massive jump, rising from just 3.5% in the previous quarter to 15.2%.
At the platform level, Google became the undisputed leader, capturing 60.4% of traffic, a significant increase from its 47.4% share in Q4. Meanwhile, Meta followed the social trend, declining to 35.8% (from 47.8% in Q4).
Amazon takes the lead in retailer selection
Amazon moved into the top position with 31.8% of Purchase Intent Clicks, rising from 22.3% in Q4. Meanwhile, Walmart saw its share decrease to 19.6% (down from 39.0%).
Canadian consumers also showed a heightened preference for specialized retailers. The combined share of Shoppers Drug Mart (18.7%), Jean Coutu (5.3%), and London Drugs (3.1%) suggests that many shoppers are looking for a balance of mass-market efficiency and the expert-led environment of a dedicated drugstore for their new Beauty routines.
France
The Q1 2026 shopper activity in France closely mirrored the patterns seen in 2025. January accounted for 35.4% of quarterly Purchase Intent Clicks, while February and March remained steady at 30.3% and 34.4%, respectively.
Conversion likelihood normalizes after holiday peaks
Brand websites saw a Purchase Intent Rate of 52.6% (down from 61.3%). Media intent followed a similar trend, adjusting to 3.7% in Q1 from 6.6% in Q4. Despite the dip, shoppable media continues to act as a vital bridge, capturing early-stage interest and funneling shoppers toward retail destinations.
Search dominates media-driven intent
In Q1 2026, search (organic and paid) became the biggest source of Beauty traffic from MikMak Commerce-enabled content, driven by brand investment. This growth came largely at the expense of paid social, which saw its share plummet from 18.2% to just 2.1%.
Due to this shift in brands’ strategy, Google strengthened its position, accounting for a staggering 94.2% of all media-driven Purchase Intent Clicks of the period. Conversely, Meta saw its share drop from 34.8% to 2.4%.
Amazon and Nocibé maintain top positions as the specialty retailer mix evolves
Amazon and Nocibé continued to lead for Beauty shopper traffic in France, capturing 25.0% and 21.8% of Purchase Intent Clicks, respectively. While both saw a slight moderation in share compared to Q4, they remain the dominant destinations for French Beauty shoppers from MikMak Commerce-enabled brand content..
The most notable change occurred in the specialized tier. Bleu Libellule entered the top three with a 6.8% share, while CDiscount (6.6%) and Marionnaud (3.8%) rounded out the top five.
This shift suggests that Q1 shoppers may be prioritizing specific Hair and Beauty care routines over the broader prestige gifting categories that lead during the holiday season.
Spain
January 2026 saw a significant increase in its share of quarterly activity in Spain, rising to 35.2%. While March remained the strongest month of the quarter at 37.2%, its dominance was less pronounced than the previous year.
Conversion rates normalize following the holiday peak
Brand websites saw a Purchase Intent Rate of 41.4%, a decrease from the 45.7% recorded in Q4. This suggests that while owned sites remain a high-converting channel, Spanish shoppers in the first quarter may be spending more time in a "consideration" phase compared to the high-intent gifting period of late 2025.
Media intent also saw a slight adjustment, moving from 4.0% to 3.2% in Q1. While this is a dip from the holiday high, shoppable media continues to provide a vital window into the early discovery phase, generating incremental sales and gathering valuable insights to build effective first-party audiences.
Search takes the lead as social share moderates
In Q1 2026, the Beauty traffic landscape in Spain shifted toward active research. Organic search became the dominant traffic source at 59.7% of Purchase Intent Clicks, a substantial increase from 33.4% in Q4. During this transition, Paid Social saw its share moderate to 30.4% (down from 52.4%), while paid search accounted for 7.8%.
At the platform level, Google solidified its role as the primary discovery hub, rising to 65.8% of Purchase Intent Clicks. Meta and TikTok remained the top social platforms at 23.5% and 7.4% respectively, though their influence softened compared to the holiday peak.
Retailer mix highlights mass and specialty strength
In Q1 2026, Amazon (24.0%) and Druni (23.9%) maintained their positions as the top two retailers, collectively capturing nearly half of the top-five shopper traffic share. Primor remained a strong third at 16.7%, although its share saw a slight decrease from 18.5% in Q4. Carrefour (6.2%) slightly overtook El Corte Inglés (4.7%) for the fourth spot this quarter.
Italy
While 2025 saw a concentration of activity in March (52.0%) in Italy, the 2026 data indicates that interest was much more evenly distributed, with February capturing the highest share of shopper traffic, at 36.6%.
This suggests that this year Italian Beauty shoppers re-engaged with the category much faster after the holidays The Q1 performances are likely driven by "Winter Sales" (Saldi) in Italy.
Conversion likelihood stabilizes after the holiday rush
Brand websites in Italy saw a Purchase Intent Rate of 46.8%, a decrease from the 55.2% peak in Q4. While this is a drop, it remains a high rate, indicating that shoppers visiting brand websites are high-intent audiences.
Media intent also saw an adjustment, moving from 7.1% to 4.5% in Q1. Shoppable media continues to be a high-reach entry point, helping brands capture new audiences during the influential early-year period.
Search maintains its lead as social engagement grows
Organic search remained the top source at a 48.1% share of shopper traffic. Interestingly, both paid social (29.9%) and paid search (21.7%) saw their shares increase compared to the previous quarter. This suggests that while search is the primary driver, Italian Beauty brands are leaning more into paid tactics to capture shopper attention during the post-holiday period.
At the platform level, Google continues to dominate with a 68.2% share of Purchase Intent Clicks. Meta remains the clear leader in the social space at 27.6%, while TikTok entered the top three platforms at 2.6%, replacing Bing.
Amazon leads while specialty retailers gain traction
Amazon strengthened its position as the top retailer for Beauty shopper traffic in Italy, growing its share of Purchase Intent Clicks to 39.4% (up from 34.6% in Q4). This suggests that post-holiday shoppers are leaning heavily into the convenience and wide assortment offered by the marketplace leader for their new year replenishment.
While specialty leaders Douglas (10.5%) and Sephora (6.5%) remained in the top three, the quarter saw the notable entry of dm (Drogerie Markt) into the fourth spot with a 5.6% share. Pinalli also saw growth, rising to 5.1%. The rise of dm and the continued presence of local specialty retailers highlight a diversifying market where shoppers balance prestige discovery with accessible, high-value drugstore options.
Key Takeaways
- Optimize owned channels for conversion: Brand websites saw Purchase Intent Rates as high as 52.6% (France) and 47.7% (US) this quarter. Owned channels should provide "always-on" frictionless shopping experiences, to capitalize on the qualified high-intent traffic.
- Maintain a diversified retail ecosystem: While Amazon captured up to 40.1% of clicks in the US, the rise of pharmacy chains like Shoppers Drug Mart (18.7% in Canada) and specialized retailers like Druni (23.9% in Spain) underscores the need for broad coverage. Diversity in your retailer mix mitigates out-of-stock risks and captures different shopper missions.
- Enable commerce across the full funnel: A full-funnel commerce strategy is essential to capture incremental demand across the media mix and build high-intent first-party audiences for the year ahead.
Curious to see how MikMak helps brands connect marketing with commerce and unlock first-party shopper data? Schedule a demo today.
*The MikMak Shopping Index was developed to provide a standardized set of metrics, methodology, and benchmarks to help drive brands’ business results and strategy. It is a collection of key eCommerce KPIs from hundreds of brands, over 250 channels, and more than 8,000 retailer integrations worldwide, to understand consumer online shopping behavior.
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