Cosmetics Checkout Performance Index | PDQ Checkout Benchmarks

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.

Cosmetics Checkout Performance Index: June 2026

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.

Shopify checkout benchmarks by vertical

Checkout behavior varies by category more than most merchants expect. Select your vertical for a full analysis.

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 fell to 0.90x in May, the sharpest single-month decline in the dataset

In April, Cosmetics coupon usage had ticked back up to 1.06x, raising the question of whether the sixteen-month normalization from the December 2024 peak of 1.51x had stalled. May answered that question decisively: coupon usage dropped to 0.90x, a 16-point fall in a single month and the largest single-month decline the Cosmetics coupon series has produced. The vertical is now 10 points below baseline on coupon engagement for the first time since this dataset began.

What to do: If your Cosmetics coupon usage fell in May and your conversion held at or near 1.00x, you've confirmed what the vertical-level data suggests: your buyers don't need the discount to complete. The next question is what's replacing the value signal at checkout.

  1. Cosmetics AOV ticked up to 1.11x in May, its highest reading since September 2024

Cosmetics AOV has been on a quiet but consistent recovery since bottoming out at 0.94x in January 2025. May's reading of 1.11x is the highest the vertical has posted in twenty months, and it arrives in a month where coupon usage collapsed to 0.90x. Those two signals moving in opposite directions simultaneously -- AOV up, coupon engagement down -- are the clearest possible evidence that the category's basket growth is organic rather than promotion-driven.

What to do: If your Cosmetics AOV is below the vertical's 1.11x reading, check whether your cross-sell and upsell logic is seasonally relevant.

  1. Free shipping rate reached 1.04x in May, its highest reading in the dataset. The category has crossed a structural threshold.

Cosmetics free shipping rate hit 1.04x in May, crossing above baseline for the third consecutive month and reaching its highest point in the dataset. The trajectory since the December 2024 low of 0.63x has been one of the most consistent upward runs in any metric across any vertical tracked here: sixteen months of almost uninterrupted free shipping expansion.

What to do: With free shipping rate at a dataset high, this is the moment to stress-test your threshold.

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.

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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.