Anthropologie expands beauty assortment with new in-store shops

Anthropologie now stocks dozens of beauty products spanning skin care, fragrance, makeup and hair care, blending national labels such as Phlur and L’Occitane with its own Maeve private-label line. The retailer has been steadily increasing SKUs in the category and is seeing apparel shoppers cross over into beauty purchases.

Over the past 12 months, one in six Anthropologie customers bought a beauty product, according to the company. Hair care has emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories, driven in part by the new shop-in-shop installations that let customers try items from lip gloss to roll-on scents.

Anthropologie set up 27 beauty shop-in-shops last year and expects to end this year with 50 locations. The company is also testing an “incubator” of beauty products near checkout counters to capture impulse buys and measure demand.

Holly Thrasher, chief merchandising officer of women’s at Anthropologie, said beauty has been a standout across both in-store and online channels. “Beauty has been really strong for us,” she said. “We have not been in the beauty business to the degree that we are now, and it’s really amplified our customer shopping experience.”

The retailer’s multi-branded advent calendars have also helped drive engagement and customer acquisition. Anthropologie has sold a 24-day version since 2018 and introduced a 12-day version last year.