Founded by singer/songwriter Lady Gaga, Haus Laboratories is a beauty brand that debuted on Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Day on July 15, 2019. The cosmetics brand launched both on Amazon.com as well as its direct-to-consumer site HausLabs.com at the same time.
Lady Gaga chose Amazon (No. 1 in the2021 Digital Commerce 360 Top 500) because of its global reach, says Katrina DeChance, director of digital at Haus Laboratories. “We’re available in many countries, which was a critical requirement for Gaga when we launched. ‘I have fans everywhere, and I want as many of them to have access to our products as possible,’” DeChance says of Gaga’s rationale. “Our scale and reach were important.”
The direct-to-consumer site also sells to more than 200 countries. What’s more, it offers free shipping for orders over $75 for international shoppers. “That’s pretty unusual given the cost of international shipping, but we have a wide international audience,” she says.
While it had a successful launch, DeChance says, without revealing more, it also had only a few months to grow before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. 2020 was a challenging year for cosmetics retailers as consumers were wearing masks and not wearing much makeup. According to a Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted in August 2020, 25% of online shoppers purchased fewer beauty products online due to decreased need amid the pandemic. But, 70% of online shoppers in the same survey said they purchase beauty products online and 34% buy beauty products online at least monthly.
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