Cosmetics

Checkout Benchmarks

Indexed performance data for Cosmetics brands on Shopify: conversion rate, AOV, free shipping behavior, and shipping revenue, tracked against a consistent baseline month over month.

Part of the PDQ Checkout Benchmarks: 130M+ checkout sessions across 500+ Shopify merchants, indexed to June 2024 = 1.0x.

Compare your Cosmetics store

Cosmetics Checkout Performance Index: April 2026

PDQ Checkout Benchmarks – By Industry
See full index

An index of 1.15x means that metric is 15% above baseline. 0.92x means it's 8% below. We publish relative change rather than absolute numbers because absolute rates vary too much by merchant size and category to be meaningful as cross-merchant benchmarks.

Three signals worth acting on this month

Written for Cosmetics operators. Every observation connects to a decision you can make this week.

1. Cosmetics coupon usage just hit its lowest point since the dataset began. The promotional cycle is normalizing.
   Cosmetics coupon usage came in at 1.02x baseline in March, down from 1.11x in February and a long way from the 1.51x peak the vertical reached in December 2024. For a category that has run structurally elevated coupon engagement for the better part of eighteen months, a reading this close to baseline is a meaningful inflection. It suggests Cosmetics brands have been systematically pulling back on code-based promotions.

What to do: If you've been gradually reducing the prominence of your discount mechanic over the last six months, this is the data that confirms the approach is working.

2. Free shipping rate just crossed back above baseline for the first time since September 2024.
   Cosmetics free shipping rate reached 1.01x in March, the first reading above baseline since the category's extended pullback began in late 2024.

What to do: Check where your free shipping threshold sits relative to your March AOV. If the threshold is at or below AOV, you're not stretching the basket.

3. Shipping revenue has been declining for sixteen months. March's 0.79x is the lowest reading in the dataset.
   The cause is clear: Cosmetics brands have been systematically reducing shipping revenue as a share of each checkout session.

What to do: Run a simple audit: compare your shipping revenue per session against your conversion rate for the last six months.

Monthly archive: Cosmetics

Every monthly dispatch, indexed and preserved. Use the archive to track how Cosmetics checkout behavior has shifted over time, to validate whether seasonal patterns in your own data match the vertical.

• April 2026
  Latest insights: Coupon usage falls to 1.02x, lowest reading since baseline; free shipping rate crosses back above baseline at 1.01x; shipping revenue hits series low at 0.79x.

• March 2026
  AOV reaches 1.08x, highest in over a year; free shipping rate climbs to 0.98x as brands continue to expand eligibility; coupon usage pulls back to 1.11x.

Methodology

About this dataset

The Cosmetics dataset within the PDQ Checkout Benchmarks draws from aggregated, anonymized session data across cosmetics-categorized merchants on Shopify's platform. Merchants are classified using Shopify's standard industry taxonomy and must meet a minimum session threshold for inclusion. The Cosmetics cohort spans makeup, skincare, fragrance, haircare, and beauty tools categories.

All figures are indexed to June 2024 = 1.0x. Figures exclude bot traffic, draft orders, and point-of-sale transactions. Data refreshes monthly, typically in the first week, reflecting the prior month's activity. Absolute conversion rates are not published; all metrics represent relative indexed change against the baseline cohort.