Article | 6 min read

Start a Beauty Product and Cosmetics Marketplace: Build on Shopify and Beyond

Build a Marketplace
Author
Samiksha Kukreti
Editor
Manav Gupta
Published
November 28, 2024
Last Updated
December 18, 2024

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Table of Contents

Whether you're an established skincare brand looking to diversify your dropshipping supplier base, an established retailer seeking to diversify your offerings or an entrepreneur driven by a passion for skincare, this blog is curated for you.

This article will present a roadmap to bring your marketplace idea to life—featuring sustainable beauty brands, or curating premium cosmetics for global shoppers—and creating a scalable multivendor marketplace.

1. Leading beauty marketplaces for inspiration

Here are some established multivendor marketplaces in beauty and personal care niche to get inspired from: 

Sephora is a global leader in the beauty marketplace:

  • Offers a massive range of beauty products, from skincare to makeup, from top brands like Fenty Beauty, Tarte, and Dior.
  • The shopping experience is highly interactive, with virtual try-ons and personalized product recommendations.
  • Depending on need, there are regular beauty classes and events where customers are given expert advice and tutorials on enhancing beauty routines.

GlamSquad leading the online service marketplace:

  • Connects individuals to beauty professionals offering services, including makeup artists and hairstylists.
  • Users can schedule beauty services whenever they feel like, at their place of choice, like an office or even home, promoting personal grooming.
  • It forms partnerships with key players within this sector, thus ensuring top-quality delivery at all times.

Vagaro has revolutionized booking beauty services:

  • Allows beauty salons, spas, and fitness professionals to be searched based on location and availability.
  • It enables real-time booking and payment options, enabling users to manage appointments more efficiently.
  • Comes with reviews and ratings from users as well. This is to help customers who are interested in it make better-informed choices.

Upcoming marketplaces powered by Shipturtle

Partnering with Shiptutle positions you at the forefront. See how these brands have transformed their digital presence to build successful online beauty markets that cater to modern consumers' needs.

I. Brown Living

Website: Brown Living

Brown Living's organic personal care products focus on sustainability and ecologically friendly living. Furthermore, skincare, hair, and body care products created from natural, non-toxic ingredients constitute part of its range. This implies that the company sources its products ethically; it does not test the products on animals but instead utilizes minimal packaging, which is in line with the concept of sustainable living.

Key features:

  • Natural, Toxin-Free Ingredients: All products are made with plant-based, chemical-free, safe ingredients for both the skin and the planet.
  • Cruelty-Free: No animal testing is involved, ensuring the brand remains ethical and compassionate.
  • Eco-Friendly Packaging: Uses recyclable, biodegradable, or minimal packaging to help reduce waste.

II. Suspire

Website: Suspire

Suspire is a curated collection of eco-friendly and vegan beauty, personal care, apparel, and home living, among other things. Featuring more than 350+ sustainable brands, it encourages ethical practices by promoting organic products derived from nature. It's likewise possible for shoppers to adopt green lifestyles owing to the availability of specific amenities such as prepaid order free-of-charge deliveries, refund possibilities, and payment options by installments on this website.

Key features:

  • Eco-Friendly Products: Offers a wide range of sustainable products made from natural, cruelty-free ingredients.
  • Vegan Options: All products are free from animal-derived ingredients, aligning with a vegan lifestyle.
  • Wide Product Range: Offers a variety of categories, including beauty, personal care, apparel, and home living, all with an eco-conscious focus.

III. PYVIT

Website: PYVIT

US-based PYVIT is all about enhancing the influencer shopping experience. They offer a curated selection of beauty, skincare, and wellness essentials from reliable brands, focusing on exclusive deals and top-notch products. If you need hair stuff such as hair conditioner, body oil like shea butter that also can be used as an absorbing cream, or Color resurrection liquid lipstick, go to the PYVIT online store where you can easily buy the newest beauty innovations for all tastes while also having opportunities to freely choose strategies concerning content generation or communication with likeminded people.

Key features:

  • Curated Beauty Selection: Offers a handpicked range of beauty, skincare, and wellness products from top brands.
  • Exclusive Deals: Provides special offers and discounts on high-quality products, available only through the platform.
  • Community Engagement: Encourages influencers and shoppers to create content, share experiences, and interact with the community.

2. Recommended marketplace types

You can choose between the following types to build a successful marketplace in this niche:

I. Service-based marketplace

A service-based beauty and personal care marketplace is designed for customers who want to find, book and buy services for personal care, grooming, and wellness. A platform like StyleSeat connects users with beauty and wellness professionals, from hairstylists to nail technicians. Its features include online booking, reviews, and dynamic pricing based on demand.

II. Product-based marketplace

Businesses sell a wide range of products to consumers without intermediate parties. Sephora sells beauty products directly to potential buyers in an online store. It is a simplistic shopping approach that involves brand-to-customer interaction only.

III. Pre-owned marketplace

These marketplaces focus on providing value through affordability and sustainability by extending the lifecycle of goods. Platforms like Poshmark allow individuals to resell gently used beauty products to others. It's more personal, with buyers and sellers engaging directly in the transaction.

IV. P2P marketplace

A peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace allows individual buyers and sellers to trade goods and services without a centralized intermediary. Establishing a digital space for listing items and communicating with potential customers/tenants. A noteworthy example is PYVIT, which integrates user-generated content and influencer collaborations to create a quasi-P2P environment.

Turn your Shopify store into a multi-vendor marketplace and boost your revenue by 10x. With 5000+ integrations & open API support, go beyond traditional use cases and bring a revolution!

Shipturtle makes it seamless, scalable, and commission-free.

Take a demo today.

3. Essential features in a beauty and personal care marketplace

This is a list of essential features for a beauty platform to have:

  • User-friendly design
  • Search and filter options
  • Secure payment gateway
  • Inventory and order management
  • Shipping and tracking

i. User-friendly design: A clean, intuitive layout is essential. Shoppers should be able to navigate quickly, filter products by categories (skincare, makeup, etc.), and find what they're looking for without hassle.

ii. Search and filter options: Buyers need a robust search function with so many products available. Filters like brand, price, ingredients, and product type make it easier for them to find the perfect product.

iii. Secure payment gateway: A reliable and secure payment system is crucial. Multiple payment options are offered to cater to all buyers. You must also invest in secure payout infrastructure for vendors.

iv. Inventory and order management: A good platform should allow sellers to easily manage their products, track inventory, and handle orders efficiently.

v. Shipping and tracking: Improve the shopping experience by providing seamless shipping options. Buyers should be able to track their orders from when they check out. A dedicated module with multiple carrier integrations can help you achieve it.

1000+ marketplaces globally use Shipturtle's scalable multivendor platform to:

  • Easily manage a specific group of suppliers.
  • Handle listings, orders, and logistics with 100+ suppliers.
  • Use tools to list a ton of branded products quickly if you have a big inventory.
  • Streamline order processing and fulfilment to save time.
  • Automatically update inventory for large product categories.
  • Simplify logistics with automated order processing.
  • Organize and manage orders based on locations or PIN codes.

4. Key steps to building an online marketplace using Shipturtle

Shipturtle is a comprehensive multivendor marketplace platform that helps businesses simplify vendor management, streamline shipping, and scale globally. With seamless integrations across cart platforms—Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento—and any custom-made PHP website, Shipturtle empowers brands to scale faster through efficient operations.

You can build a feature-rich multivendor marketplace using Shipturtle in six simple steps:

  • Step 1: Set up your cart platform.
  • Step 2: Select your multivendor plugin.
  • Step 3: Connect vendor stores.
  • Step 4: Utilise strong workflows and integrations.
  • Step 5: Customise using open APIs.
  • Step 6: Promoting your marketplace.

Note: A unique domain name and a hosting plan is needed.

Step 1: Set up your cart platform

Setting up your eCommerce platform is crucial for laying a solid foundation.

Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento are some platforms that can help you create a popular marketplace that will satisfy all your company's needs.

This is how you do it:

  1. Visit the Shopify website and set up an account.
  2. To use Woocommerce, first install WordPress and then activate the WooCommerce plugin.
  3. Choose a website theme that fits your marketplace's specialization.

Step 2: Select the multivendor plugin

Having your cart platform ready guarantees that your business may be transformed into a multivendor marketplace. You may now grow operations by incorporating multivendor features. Shipturtle provides all the tools to develop and run a multivendor market for any niche.

Watch our video explainer to get our App Overview.

Step 3: Connect vendor stores

Shipturtle connects stores across Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Squarespace, Wix, and even physical retailers. Vendors may effortlessly integrate inventory and sales across several platforms. This cross-platform connection is ideal for growing your marketplace and recruiting vendors from other ecosystems.

Our Vendor Sync functionality uses Webhooks instead of APIs. This eliminates overselling and underselling altogether, offering a 10% increase in income. Furthermore, Shipturtle's powerful reconciliation system and modification record ensure correct inventory practically every time.

Learn how you can onboard suppliers from any platform using Shipturtle:

Step 4: Utilize strong workflows and integrations

Shipturtle offers 400+ pre-built workflows and 5000+ integrations to support any marketplace functionalities.

Together, the powerful components automate and simplify operations, allowing you to expand successfully while maintaining process control. 

i. Product listing module

Allow merchants to manage their product catalogs easily.

  1. Vendors may add, update, and delete goods straight from their dashboard.
  2. Upload items in bulk using CSV files to save time when managing a vast inventory.
  3. Organize items into categories and use custom tags to improve discoverability.

You have complete control, with the power to accept or reject postings, guaranteeing quality and uniformity throughout the marketplace.

Watch our video explainer to learn more.

ii. Order module

Streamline order processing using Shipturtle's automated order management solution.

  1. Automatically divide orders among suppliers based on the items ordered.
  2. Vendors get order alerts and may manage fulfillment through their dashboards.
  3. Orders are tracked from start to finish, with real-time information for consumers and sellers.

This assures proper order processing, avoids delays, and provides a pleasant consumer experience.

If you still need clarification, see the Orders Module video tutorial.

iii. Payouts module

Simplify vendor payments using Shipturtle's numerous options:

  1. Set commission rates for each vendor on five levels, using a flat charge, percentage, or combination.
  2. Automate payments with Stripe, PayPal, or Razorpay connections.
  3. Create precise reports to guarantee that all vendors receive accurate profits on schedule.

This transparency fosters confidence among your vendors while streamlining your financial operations.

Watch the Payouts Module video explainer to learn more.

IV. Shipping module

Logistics made simple with Shipturtle's extensive shipping features:

  1. Create global shipping rules or bespoke rates for each vendor depending on region or product category.
  2. Offer consumers a variety of shipping alternatives, ranging from basic to expedited delivery.
  3. Integrate with 200+ third-party logistics companies such as FedEx, UPS, and local courier services to ensure flawless delivery operations.

The module guarantees that suppliers may effectively manage shipping while you maintain control over the whole client experience.

See our Shipping Module in action in this video tutorial.

Step 5: Customise using Open APIs

Shipturtle's API infrastructure enables you to create personalized solutions.

You can use our open API support if you want bespoke processes, complex analytics, or specialized payment methods. This adaptability guarantees that your marketplace changes per your company goals and client expectations.

If you want to close a tech stack for your marketplace, consider Shipturtle.

Step 6: Promotion strategies for your marketplace

Here are some broader areas to consider when marketing your multivendor beauty store online:

I. Define Your Niche and Target Audience

  • Determine whether your marketplace specializes in cruelty-free, vegan, organic, or luxury beauty products online.
  • Use data analytics tools to create detailed buyer personas (age, beauty preferences, skin care, skincare concerns, lifestyle).
  • Craft a unique value proposition focused on your audience's values, like "Sustainable Skincare Brands for Sensitive Skin."

II. Seasonal and Limited-Time Promotions

  • Create exclusive offers around key beauty events (e.g., "Summer Glow Sale," "Holiday Skincare Essentials").
  • Use countdown timers or flash sales to create urgency and drive impulse buys.
  • Offer limited-edition products or sets, encouraging customers to buy before they run out.

III. Partnerships and Collaborative Commerce

  • Collaborate with local beauty salons, spas, or wellness centers to cross-promote your products.
  • Encourage beauty influencers and bloggers to promote your marketplace via unboxing videos, reviews, or tutorials.
  • Bundle products with services (e.g., a skincare set with a free virtual consultation with a dermatologist).

Enquire Shipturtle about its brand directory service. Compare it with Shopify Collective or Carro.

Building beauty and personal care marketplace on your own

i. Custom coding and integrations are costly.

ii. Building and testing takes significant time.

iii. Requires advanced backend systems for scalability.

iv. Ensuring strong security measures and compliance.

v. Continuous updates and bug fixes are necessary.

vi. Compatibility issues with payment, shipping, and CRM tools.

vii. Balancing design with functionality for ease of use.

Building beauty and personal care marketplace using Shipturtle

i. Shopify store or any CMS platform

ii. Shipturtle app and its open APIs

That's how simple it is!

Shipturtle is way more cost-effective with pre-built 400+ marketplace workflows.

99.9%

Our Vendor Sync feature works via Webhooks and not APIs. This eliminates overselling and underselling completely, promising upto a 5% boost in revenue. Moreover, Shipturtle's super strong reconciliation mechanism and change log ensures accurate inventory almost all the time!

5. Launch your beauty products marketplace in 48 hours

Shipturtle specializes in creating scalable, multivendor marketplace solutions tailored for specific niches, such as beauty and personal care products. We can help you build a scalable marketplace: 

  • Whether booking beauty consultations, managing salon appointments, or handling inventory, the platform is adaptable to your business needs.
  • From skincare to cosmetics, the platform supports various product categories, offering flexibility for diverse sellers and customers.
  • Quickly integrate various beauty brands, suppliers, and independent experts to expand your product range.
  • Provide tools for inventory management, product listings, and performance tracking, allowing sellers to manage their presence on your marketplace efficiently.

As your marketplace grows, Shipturtle's platform scales to accommodate more users, products, and transactions without compromising performance. Wait no further; book a demo to understand more use cases.

FAQs

1. How do I identify my target audience in the beauty and personal care space?

Begin by looking into the demographics, age, gender, location and beauty preference to identify your targeted audience. Factors in lifestyles like skincare issues or routines help in marketing that addresses these areas of need. Detailed buyer personas can be created by going further into customer surveys, interacting through social media, or carrying out market research.

2. What are the challenges of building a niche beauty marketplace?

Creating a niche beauty marketplace poses challenges such as ensuring a stable supply of products, managing vendors and coping with stiff competition. In addition, you have to observe the changing beauty trends and customer expectations while maintaining high-quality levels and customer response strategies. Concentrating on your niche facilitates overcoming these hurdles by providing distinct but attractive items to your target audience.

3. How do I ensure my beauty marketplace stays compliant with industry regulations?

To ensure compliance, familiarize yourself with regulations like the FDA's cosmetics and skincare product rules. Make sure vendors display accurate ingredient lists and certifications and offer clear disclaimers. Regularly audit your platform for compliance with privacy laws like GDPR, and implement secure payment systems to protect customer data.

Get advanced shipping, configurable vendor management, payment features, and more. Install Shipturtle today from the Shopify App Store and enjoy a free trial to experience its benefits firsthand.

Want to learn more about how Shipturtle can benefit your business? Book a personalized demo with our sales team.

Experience the power of Shipturtle for free. Start your trial today and discover how it can transform your Shopify multivendor store!

Start a conversation! Share this article with your network. Let them know how we can help in improving their multivendor store.

About The Author

Samiksha Kukreti

Samiksha Kukreti is a content creator with a unique blend of scientific expertise and creative flair. Having earning a U.G. degree in Biotechnology, Samiksha is pursuing her creative and strategic interests in digital marketing and helping Shipturtle grow.