This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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Ulta Beauty is doubling down on the wellness category.
“We’ve been on the journey with wellness since 2021 when we launched the wellness shop at Ulta Beauty, and we’ve learned so much about the category,” Laura Beres, vp of wellness at Ulta Beauty, told Glossy. “Wellness continues to grow in the market, and importantly, our guests just continue to demand more of it. … This is really an evolution of the Wellness Shop.”
Launching next week, the retailer is rolling out a pilot program called “Wellness by Ulta Beauty,” a shop-in-shop boutique concept piloted in four U.S. stores. It will include an education-focused wall, gondolas, end caps and a sampling table, all staffed by specially trained wellness advisors.
“This is much larger [than our existing Wellness Shop]: It’ll be about 475 square feet in the store, which is a significant experience [for Ulta]. And it will have some space for guests to be able to really explore and navigate in a way that gives them that sense of calm and peace throughout the store,” Beres said.
The boutiques will be located in Columbus, Ohio; Short Pump, Virginia; Peabody, Massachusetts; and Naperville, Illinois.
Beres joined the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss the launch, how brands can participate, and what’s coming next for Ulta Beauty’s continued wellness expansion. Listen in now, then learn more in Glossy’s latest Ulta Strategies story on the launch.
On investing in dedicated wellness sales associates
Beres: “They’re new staff, and we’ve hired them, specifically, to really make sure they’re passionate about the space. Many of them are already consumers of wellness and know the category really well, and of course, we’re working really hard on educating them. … Last year, one of the things we were able to pilot across Ulta Beauty was a wellness certification, where we went deeper into the category and really educated [our associates], not only on top-level brands and products we carry, but also more deeply on concerns that guests are having and questions they’re coming in with, whether it’s a life-stage concern or a concern about a particular ingredient, or [they’re] looking to understand something that can better support their nutrition or overall journey in wellness. We’re also leaning in really heavily with our brand partners, who are very excited to come along this journey with us into this space. Many of them actually, even as soon as tomorrow, are spending time with our associates, educating them through avenues we already have, like masterclasses, but also bespoke, deeper ways to bring their brands to life.”
On the customer journey
Beres: “When [shoppers] enter the ‘Wellness by Ulta Beauty’ boutique, they are going to see, first and foremost, a focal wall. The wall is really going to give them an opportunity to understand what Wellness by Ulta Beauty is. It’ll give them a little bit about our North Star and our vision. Our vision is really to bring the guest that ability to ‘find their feel good’ in their wellness journey. We know wellness is really personal. We also know that they’re looking for unique things in the assortment. And so across our four product pillars, ‘nutrition and supplements,’ ‘intimate care,’ ‘rest and reset,’ and ‘essential routines,’ they’ll be able to see that beautiful focal wall and understand what the Wellness by Ulta Beauty offering is. The second thing that they’ll see is a beautiful array of 58 brands, four of which are new to Ulta Beauty, that are organized by these product pillars across a couple of gondolas and end caps. The final thing they’ll see and start to experience is an interactive table where they’re able to test and try products, led by our dedicated wellness associates who will be staffing this space and are really well-educated in wellness, both the products we carry, but also, more broadly, trends in the market.”
