The cosmetic industry is often at the forefront of innovation. Cosmetic companies must continuously introduce new and trendy products and promote those products to stay in front of consumers. Celebrity endorsements, seasonality, and online influencers can affect the demand for cosmetic brands. That’s why it’s important for cosmetic and beauty brands to prepare for sudden trend changes while ensuring product quality.
Cosmetic logistics is unique because of the requirements for a successful operation. Operations involve a large number of products that are shipped to both retailers and directly to consumers. This requires an efficient supply chain that can adapt to changes quickly. In this article, we will review tips to ensure a successful cosmetic logistics operation.
Temperature Control
The cosmetic industry has a variety of products. Some of these products must be stored in a temperature-controlled environment. This requires a range of temperatures that the product must be stored at to avoid quality issues or damage. Warehouses typically have a designated area that is insulated and monitored closely for temperature levels.
Provide Visibility and Tracking
In recent years, visibility on shipments has become increasingly important to consumers. Tracking the status of an order provides a better customer experience by letting them know when their purchase will be received. Personal care brands usually have a high SKU count, as a variety of colors and shades may be available. High SKUs require close tracking to monitor inventory levels. Efficient tracking and tracing prevents shipping delays associated with low stock. Working with a logistics provider like Evans, companies have access to a warehouse management system (WMS) for full visibility on inventory levels and order volume. This technology can also be used to provide shipping updates to customers.
Ensure Quality Control
Cosmetic and beauty products come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and forms. All with different ingredients that can cause them to be sensitive to external factors like humidity, temperature, or damage. The competitive nature of the beauty industry requires quality control to ensure a product arrives to the customer in good condition. The value-added services of inspection and quality control will inspect for product damage before it is shipped, providing a better customer experience.
Explore New Picking Strategies
With the variety of products that an individual beauty brand can carry, having a pick and pack fulfillment strategy that is fast and still offers order variety is crucial. A zone picking strategy that utilizes an organized racking system and picking line is ideal for the personal care industry. This method optimizes the picking process to ensure order accuracy and faster shipping.
Prepare for Seasonal Fluctuations
Personal care brands are often subject to seasonality or increased order volume based on new product lines or strategic online promotions. Inventory management is key to managing an extreme fluctuation in order volume. Having too much inventory on-hand results in high storage costs. Having too little inventory results in shortages and delays. Active monitoring and reporting helps manage inventory levels to meet consumer demand. Projections and demand planning based on logistics data from previous years makes this easier.
Cosmetics and beauty supplies are unique from many other products. That’s why it’s important to work with a logistics provider like Evans, who understands those challenges and has experience overcoming them. Watch our Lip Bar video case study to see how Evans was able to find a fulfillment solution to help this Detroit-based cosmetics brand.