The Glossy 50 honors the year’s biggest changemakers across fashion and beauty. More from the series →
Throughout her career at Target, Amanda Nusz has worked in just about every department at the big box retailer. But since assuming the role of svp of merchandising for essentials and beauty in June, she is now tasked with keeping Target apace in a mass beauty landscape that is only growing more competitive.
But Nusz and Target are keeping up and then some, as the retailer has not only become a destination for everyday essentials but also a launchpad for new brands that straddle both innovation and accessibility.
“Target’s positioning of joy, affordability and design is a really unique positioning [based on] meeting the consumer where they’re at,” said Nusz.
In August, Target launched Blake Lively’s Blake Brown hair-care line as part of a larger strategy to bring more advanced hair care to its consumers. And, in October, the retailer launched an exclusive E.l.f. and Stanley collaboration, capturing the zeitgeist for the insulated water bottles and accompanying accessories. “We have a consumer who responds to newness; they love discovering something new,” said Nusz. “And we outperform the market two times in terms of our ability to adopt new ideas.”
Nusz’s remit also involves keeping up with the ever-expanding and sometimes nebulous category of wellness. In January, Target pledged to bring in 1,000 new wellness products to meet the demands of its broad consumer base looking for ways to feel better.
“Every week, we have over 30 million guests shopping just in our Target stores — that’s not even digitally,” said Nusz. “And over half of our weekly shoppers are making purchases in [self-care]. As we listen to them, we know they are looking for balance, rest and flexibility. And they are looking for the ability to do what’s best for them as an individual.”
The recent launches are working to keep the Target customer engaged: The retailer reported a 6% increase in beauty sales for the third quarter of 2024.
In the year to come, Nusz and her team are looking to expand Target’s reach in hot sectors like fragrance and to find new avenues where consumers are looking for newness and innovation. “Just being able to be a source of inspiration is definitely something we will continue to work on,” Nusz said.
