Ulta Strategies: How Ulta is leveraging its longtime salon business to boost sales through brand partnerships

“We like to say the salon guest is the best guest,” Megan Murray, Ulta’s vp of events and in-store experience, told Glossy. “[The average guest] comes into the store 10 times a year [to shop, but] if they do their hair or brows at the Ulta Salon, they come in 20 times a year, on average, and those guests are shopping [as well].” 

Ulta Beauty has 1,445 U.S. stores staffed by around 50,000 store associates. Within that is approximately 1,400 salons staffed by 7,000 stylists. The retailer’s typical store is 10,000 square feet with 950 square feet dedicated to salon space. Every new Ulta Beauty gets a salon, with the exception of very small locations and shop-in-shops, such as Ulta Beauty within Target stores.

“It’s a part of our DNA,” Murray said. “When Ulta Beauty launched 35 years ago, we launched with salons in store.”

Today, hair appointments are the biggest driver of salon visits — including hair cuts, color, chemical services, styling, extension and wig services — followed by brow shaping, lash application and makeup services. Ear piercing and skin services, like hydrating, exfoliating and customizable facials, are offered at some locations. 

“My favorite thing is visiting a store and seeing somebody shopping with foils in their hair,” she said. “We’ve created this ‘beautytainment’ environment that has really come alive.”

Murray hopes to make this more common thanks to buzzy new brand partnerships that increase awareness of Ulta’s salon services. For example, in May, the retailer kicked off a “Cécred Sundays” activation with the buzzy Beyconcé-owned hair-care brand. This includes special service offerings within 200 Ulta salons that come with free Cécred gifts like mini candles. These Cécred services, such as its Scalp Revival or Protein Bounceback Treatment, utilize the brand’s products within the treatments.

Cécred treatments run between $30 and $50, and guests are encouraged to pair these 15-minute treatments with a blowout, which rings in at around $50, depending on the stylist. 

But Cécred isn’t the first brand to partner with Ulta’s Salon. Guests can also book a bond-repairing hair treatment using Olaplex products, which launched in late 2021, or Benefit brow bar services like lamination, tinting, threading and waxing, which kicked off in 2017. Olaplex treatments start at $24, while Benefit brow services start at $29. Ulta sells Olaplex and Benefit products to complement these services. 

“We’re training every single stylist right now to offer the Benefit brow service,” Murray said. “[The goal] is to offer a consistent, elevated experience where anybody can walk in the door and get the service that day. This will be a differentiator for us.”

So far, these partnerships have been a success in sales conversion. Murray told Glossy that around 75% of guests that participate in these salon partnerships and purchase a product have never shopped from the brand before. “It’s a win-win for the guests, a win-win for our stylists and a win-win for the brands,” she said. 

To make this momentum go even further, Murray’s team is rolling out new, bookable educational offerings, where guests can learn how to blow out their own hair or create heatless curls from an Ulta stylist. It’s part of Ulta Beauty’s ongoing event strategy, which includes more than 70,000 yearly in-store events planned for this year.

Until now, word of mouth has been the biggest driver of salon visits, but Murray hopes to disrupt that soon. 

“We are, right now, kicking off a services marketing journey in a bigger way,” she said. The team is currently focused on converting its 45-million-strong loyalty program users. “Just to get more of them to experience the salon is a mission of ours,” Murray said. “You’re going to start to see more coming in the marketing space for the salon and for services soon.”