DENVER, June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- An ongoing shopper behavior study conducted by The Integer Group(®) and M/A/R/C Research shows that mass retailers still reign supreme for shoppers when it comes to stocking up on beauty products, with 42.5 percent of total beauty shoppers turning to mass retailers for their beauty needs in 2014-a slight decrease from 43.7 percent the previous year.

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"The popularity of this channel is most likely due to the variety of product assortment as well as price points provided by mass beauty," said Craig Elston, EVP of Insight & Strategy at The Integer Group. "Beauty is a category that is personal and fun and comes with an expectation from shoppers that there is an experience that goes along with it."

However, what is surprising is that, despite upgrades to the beauty aisle at both Target and Walmart, shoppers haven't quite latched on to the idea of "mass-tige." They continue to seek out upscale beauty experiences elsewhere. 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. Those reasons are also what draw shoppers to specialty beauty. The study also shows more people buying beauty purchases through Amazon.com, with the percentage doubling in 2014.

Overall, few shoppers conduct online research to find the best beauty products for them. But for those who do conduct online beauty research, they are turning to search engines. Women conduct the most online research in the category, and, aside from search engines, they rely on retailer websites, brand websites, and beauty blogs for information. Males rely on retailer and brand websites equally and then turn to magazine websites. Social media remains the least used resource according to the study. However, women drive the use of Pinterest as a beauty resource.

For more information on beauty shopping behaviors, download the full study.

About The Integer Group
The Integer Group (www.integer.com) is one of the world's largest promotional, retail, and shopper marketing agencies, and a key member of Omnicom Group Inc. Integer lives at the Intersection of Branding and Selling(® )and creates strategic marketing solutions for clients in categories that include retail, beverage, packaged goods, telecommunications, home and shelter, automotive aftermarket, and power sports. Integer has more than 1,200 employees working in U.S. locations as well as international offices in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America. Join the conversation on shopping culture and brand strategy at www.shopperculture.com.

About Omnicom
Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations, and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

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SOURCE The Integer Group