With retailers increasingly opting to expand (or in some cases, launch) beauty offerings, it is evident that for some brands beauty is a popular bet when looking to increase consumer spend and in-store foot traffic.
The likes of Forever 21, Madewell and Urban Outfitters have recently taken a turn away from apparel and moved into beauty. CEO of retail investment research firm Jane Hali & Associates, Jane Hali, explained the potential reasoning behind this in an interview with WWD, saying: “Beauty alone brings in the customer.
“Everyone likes beauty — that’s a big umbrella. It could be fragrance, cosmetics or skin care. There are junkies in each. There are footwear junkies, handbag junkies — I don’t know of any apparel junkies — so it makes sense to bring in a category that’s performing.”
“Everyone’s into beauty… Not everyone is into apparel, and certainly not everyone is into jeans. They’re a cool store — they’re known for their denim and this broadens their spectrum. They can’t be focused on one thing because that can go out of style. That’s why [Madewell and other retailers] want to broaden their audience.”
Worldwide director of The Innovation Group at J. Walter Thompson, Lucie Greene, further commented on the phenomenon, telling WWD: “With slowing apparel spend and people generally seeming to want less stuff, it’s like a strategic pivot [on the part of apparel retailers] because people are still buying beauty. Beauty still attracts people into stores.”
As Forever 21 reveals plans to open its beauty-centric Riley Rose stores across the US, and more retailers opt to create custom beauty lines, expect to see apparel in-store beauty offerings far more frequently in 2018.
