An ongoing shopper behaviour study has found that mass retailers are still the most popular destinations for US shoppers looking to buy beauty products.

The study, conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research, found that 42.5% of total beauty shoppers preferred mass retailers in 2014 (although that was down from 43.7% in the previous year). The report noted: “The popularity of this channel is most likely due to the variety of product assortment as well as price points provided by mass beauty.”

However, the study also found that despite upgrades to the beauty aisle at both Target and Walmart, shoppers haven't quite latched on to the idea of "mass-tige", and shop elsewhere for their premium beauty products. As a result, department stores such as Nordstrom and Macy's saw the biggest increase in shoppers looking for their beauty needs. Shoppers say it's because department stores offer high-quality products, all of the products they are looking for, and they get to try before they buy.

The study also shows more people buying beauty purchases through Amazon, with the percentage doubling in 2014. Overall, few shoppers conducted online research to find the best beauty products for them, with women conducting the most research. Also, while women relied on search engines, retailer websites, brand websites, and beauty blogs for information, males relied on retailer and brand websites equally and then turned to magazine websites. Social media remains the least used resource according to the study.

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