In the beauty business, there has been a shift where brands are benefiting from an exciting time of growth as new categories emerge and younger consumers understand the benefit of getting an early start. Still, as more brands enter the space, competition remains fierce and only those that connect with the consumer on a deeper level will thrive.
No one knows this better than Sonia Summers, founder and chief executive officer of Beauty Barrage, and her team of beauty retail experts who have ferried many of today’s leading beauty brands from launch to find lasting success at retail. In fact, many of beauty’s top retailers, including Sephora and Ulta, among others, often refer brands to Beauty Barrage to navigate the challenges of retail or take them to the next level.
Related Articles
Known for creating bespoke retail strategies for brands, Summers points to Beauty Barrage’s events as a key element. Retail events, she said, “allow brands and retailers to connect with customers, increase brand exposure and drive sales. When these experiences are executed effectively, these events can yield significant benefits, including enhanced customer loyalty, market insights and revenue growth.”
These events can take on various sizes, depending on the set goal and budget including store-generated events, master classes, corporate events and blitzes. For new brands, Summers said, events are “ideal for brand awareness and introducing customers to the brand” while for heritage brands “it’s about reminding the customer that you are still building innovative new products.”
For any event, Beauty Barrage’s team of ambassadors are on site to educate consumers about the brand. Importantly, Beauty Barrage ambassadors are full-time employees and participate in regular training and classes to keep up-to-date on the brands they are assigned to work with. Not only are they sharing the latest on new products with tips on how to use them, but they are also working with consumers to understand the brand on a deeper level, often making suggestions based on personal needs or sharing insights about the brand.
“People want to feel like they know and understand the brands from which they purchase, and especially, that the brand’s values align with theirs,” said Summers.
A recent example of the power of in-person education of a brand is Beauty Barrage’s partnership with Ôrəbella, Bella Hadid’s skin care-based fragrance brand that offers an innovative alternative to traditional alcohol-based fragrance. For Ôrəbella’s exclusive launch at Ulta in May 2024, Summers told Fairchild Studio that the Beauty Barrage team built a strategy that included education, trial and brand awareness.
As a first-of-its-kind brand, it was important that consumers understood the nuances of Ôrəbella’s products, including the benefits of the nonirritating ingredients. For its strategy, Summers said that the Beauty Barrage team identified education first and foremost, knowing the critical role it would play in the success of the brand and sales.
Alison Romash, global head of marketing and sales at Ôrəbella, agreed, telling Fairchild Studio that the educational component of its launch strategy was paramount.
“Beauty Barrage helped to fine-tune the message to properly communicate the new gesture, formula and families of the Ôrəbella fragrances,” said Romash. “Initial foundation and ongoing monthly education are important as proper brand education is a large contributor to success. We’re pioneering a totally new fine fragrance gesture and payoff. Ôrəbella is the first skin perfume that’s a bi-phase, alcohol-free formula elevated with essential oils to nourish and hydrate skin while providing an aura-enhancing scent experience. Consumers need to shake the bottle to activate the two layers of our formula and should spray directly onto the skin for long-lasting and skin-loving results, which is a new way to enjoy fine fragrance.”
Additionally, as a new indie brand with a small team, Romash said that the company knew it needed an expert field team to support and optimize its exclusive Ulta Beauty all-doors partnership. “Our main goal was to enhance in-store education for both Ulta Beauty staff and guests, given the innovative and unique proposition of our brand. We also wanted to ensure more touch points for community listening to hear what consumers were saying. It’s imperative to have ‘boots on the ground’ to be successful in brick- and-mortar.”
She said that it has been especially valuable to have the Beauty Barrage brand ambassadors on-site to optimize in-store presentation and inventory position, especially with massive launch sellouts, and to work directly with the Ulta staff and guests to provide real-time feedback.
After the successful launch, Beauty Barrage continues to hold monthly education sessions dedicated to ensuring consistent and continuous Ulta Beauty Advisor training that will enhance the customer experience through thoughtful communication. Romash said that how the brand is introduced and finding relatable scents and stories to help captivate the in-store audience are part of the Ôrəbella education experience. Selling and service techniques utilizing storytelling, conversation statements and engaging skill practices are all a part of the tool kit given to Beauty Barrage’s brand ambassadors.
Since its launch three months ago, Ôrəbella has seen an average of 71 percent increased sales lift in the 50 to 100 doors covered by Beauty Barrage.
Beauty Barrage has also helped Virtue Labs, a more well-known brand that launched in-store in June 2024, after earning a presence online. The science-backed hair care line launched, for its premier launch in-store at Ulta. Understanding the strategy, Beauty Barrage set out to maximize store visibility, interaction and education. The goal was to harness the enthusiasm of the brand and create a lasting impact.
Like Ôrəbella, Virtue Labs’ scientific nature and innovative biotechnology made education paramount to success in-store and was a primary focus in Beauty Barrage’s strategy for the brand’s launch. Summers said that the first step was to expand door merchandising and education focus, ensuring that the Ulta staff “felt confident and passionate about sharing the phenomenal brand and science with customers.” Then, Beauty Barrage shifted to sales-focused store visitations and animating the brand in-store to boost brand visibility and increase sales through customer conversation and demos.
“Our primary goals were to ensure a seamless in-store launch, provide comprehensive education to Ulta Beauty Advisors, and achieve strong sell-through performance in the initial months,” said Caroline Chong, global vice president of sales at Virtue Labs. “Beauty Barrage came highly recommended by Ulta Beauty as well as other industry contacts. Their model of employing staff rather than freelancers assured us a consistent service with high-quality training and execution. The management team offered candid and transparent advice on store coverage and time allocation, particularly crucial given our limited budget. Their genuine interest in our brand’s success was evident throughout the planning process.”
Ralph Marburger, chief marketing officer at Virtue Labs, added that given the brand’s premium pricing, “it’s essential for shoppers to understand the exceptional performance and transformative effects of our ingredients. This level of education requires thorough education of both store beauty advisors and shoppers, as visual merchandising alone can only convey so much. Our results are clinically backed, and we hold multiple patents.”
Moreover, he said, the brand acknowledges that the space is “so closely tied to self-confidence” and that it’s important to be accountable for true results and benefits. “We need store ambassadors that are telling our story.”
After only a few months, Chong said that Virtue Lab’s relationship with Beauty Barrage is still in its early days but has already resulted in valuable insights into in-store execution through a robust online portal.
As brands evaluate the role of events in their retail strategies, Summers encouraged brands to consider the long-term impact. Among the leading benefits that brands see when they partner with Beauty Barrage for events, she named brand loyalty, customer feedback, competitive differentiation,
repeat business, building relationships with retailers and store associates and buzz.