SUMMIT REPORT
RETAIL 2019
2019 RETAIL REIMAGINED
In the not-so-distant past, fashion ruled retail. Now beauty
learned how retailers onboard brands directly from the
reigns supreme, in part due to the innovations brought
most influential buyers in beauty.
to market by disruptive beauty brands. Today, retailers, hungry to source innovation, are seeking more indie brands to meet shifting consumer needs.
Our 360° Learning Platform began with foundational courses, then delved into the nuances of winning wholesale strategies and successful retail partnerships. An
What inspires buyers in this new environment? During
immersive, interactive approach that instills confidence
the course of two days, BeautyX Retail Summit attendees
and inspires creativity.
INTRODUCTION FOUNDATIONAL Foundational COURSES Courses
I N V E S T I G AT I O N PANEL DISCUSSIONS Panel Discussions
LIVE I N S P I R AT I O N LEARNING
Networking
I N T E R N A L I Z AT I O N NETWORKING
360° STRUCTURED CURRICULUM I M P L E M E N T AT I O N EXPERT WORKSHOPS Expert Workshops
Live Learning
CASE STUDIES IMME RSION
Case Studies
EDUCATION ACCELERATION TRANSFORMATION BeautyX foundational courses draw upon IBMG’s unparalleled knowledge of the independent beauty and wellness space to bring attendees current, comprehensive and crucial information on the retail environment.
The Retail Landscape Reimagined How Buyers Buy: Behind Retailer Decisions
FOUNDATIONAL COURSES
Pitch Perfect: The Winning Brand Deck Anatomy Of A Retail Contract State Of Retail 2019: The Rise Of Beauty
PANEL DISCUSSIONS A stellar group of brand founders and retailers discussed the realities of today’s turbulent retail environment. Function of Beauty co-founder Zahir Dossa questioned the efficacy of the pop-up model while Jonathan Will, Senior Regional Spa Manager at Equinox shared why his global corporation takes chances on independent brands. “Indie brands have an advantage—they are game to be vulnerable where they can partner with us. We need to see if the brand can eventually scale with us and with that we need to make sure we can trust each other,” he explained. All panelists: Kendra Kolb Butler, founder, Alpyn Beauty; Dr. Zahir Dossa, co-founder & CEO, Function Of Beauty; Brandy Hoffman co-founder, Volition Beauty; Trinity Mouzon, co-founder, Golde; Kandice Hansen, beauty buyer, Revolve; Dr. Kristian Henderson, founder, BLK+GRN; Dawn Serpa, Vice President of Marketing, Dermstore; Nigel Lawmon, Commerical Director, Feelunique; Jeannie Jarnot, founder, Beauty Heroes; Virginia Acosta, Spa Director, The Spa at the Joule; Stacey Stilts, owner, Green Line Beauty; Jonathan Will, Senior Regional Spa Manager, Central, Equinox; Zack Zanders, Manager, Two Rivers Salon & Spa; Annie Jackson, co-founder, Credo; Amy Jargo, Global Senior Category Manager, Whole Foods Market; Elena Severin, Director of Brand Partnerships, The Detox Market; Dixie Lincoln-Nichols, founder, Inside Outer Beauty Market.
Executing A Winning Channel Strategy Online Retailer Panel Spa Director Panel Clean Beauty Retailer Panel
READ MORE
Eight Hot Takes From Indie Beauty Brand Founders And Retail Buyers Speaking At BeautyX Retail Summit
BUYER TIME BeautyX Retail 2019 marked the debut of Buyer Time sessions, a new and already extremely popular element of the BeautyX program that allows a group of 10 attendees to sit down with buyers from some of the country’s most coveted beauty retailers, including Ulta Beauty, Whole Foods, Neiman Marcus and Credo. Attendees questioned these retail decision makers on best practices for brand founders, emerging trends and whether exclusivity is a priority. “Does exclusivity matter to us? It does and it doesn’t,” said Annie Jackson, co-founder of Credo and one of the most-sought after buyers at the show. “We’ve been doing this long enough to want your brand to have awareness. So by just being at Credo it can be tricky. It really depends on what the whitespace is and what your brand is all about. It could be positioned in such a way that we’re like ‘Please, don’t go anywhere else. Please, only come to Credo.’ Or it could be that you really benefit from being in XY retailer, so that the customers are out shopping and they’re seeing your brand there, they’re seeing your brand at Credo…so it really kind of depends, to be honest. Because we want you to be successful, we want you to have money to come in to continue to create your brand. And we get that.” READ MORE
Don’t Bullsh*t The Buyer: 10 Tips For Building Your Wholesale Business
“If you don’t have a point of difference or something unique, then what’s the point? I live by that.” The importance of sticking to your guns is a lesson Supergoop! Founder Holly Thaggard learned early on. The school teacher turned SPF market leader began her incredibly successful partnership with Sephora by first turning down the retailer’s proposal to stock Supergoop! During summer months only, Rachel Brown, Beauty Independent’s Editor In Chief and Holly Thaggard, founder of Supergoop!
SUPERCHAT WITH SUPERGOOP!
countering with a proposal for year-round distribution. Today, Sephora is Thaggard’s
Sometimes the most valuable way to learn
most steadfast retail partner. The founder
how to take your brand to the next level is
detailed her close relationship with Sephora’s
hearing straight from the entrepreneurs
Chief Merchandising Officer, Artemis Patrick,
who have done it. BeautyX fireside chats
with whom she consulted many times when
are intimate and frank conversations with
she was developing her newest product,
successful founders and industry leaders
Shimmershades.
that can share their invaluable first-
to newness and innovation just earned the
person accounts of the losses and wins
product a spot on Time Magazine’s Best
that made them who they are today.
Inventions of 2019.
Thaggard’s
commitment
AFTER THE BUY How To Succeed With Your Retail Partner Some brand founders may think that getting on the shelf at your dream retailer is it—you’ve made it. In reality, that’s when the work really begins. Maya Crothers, founder of Circcell and Kim D’Angelo, beauty buyer from Neiman Marcus shared how they built a mutually successful partnership that not only delighted discerning
Neiman
“It’s hard to build a brand within our store. Having a story and being able to differentiate yourself is essential.”
Marcus
consumers, but also grew Circcell’s brand awareness and bottom line. “It’s hard to build a brand within our store. Having a story and being able to differentiate yourself is essetial” expressed Kim D’Angelo.
Media
Group’s
ShopTheExpo
initiative. Working with the Neiman Marcus
beauty
team, Crothers
built on her brand’s spa pedigree to be more retail friendly while still standing out on the shelf. Today,
Circcell entered the luxury retailer
Circcell is sold in four Neiman
in 2017 as part of Indie Beauty
Marcus locations nationwide. Maya Crothers, founder and CEO of Circcell Skincare, and Kim D’Angelo, Beauty Buyer at Neiman Marcus
INTERVIEW WITH AN EMPIRE
In an intimate conversation moderated by
Claire
McCormack
of
Beauty
Independent, Sephora CMO Artemis Patrick shared her unique insights on the clean beauty program at Sephora, getting real on social media and pushing forward with CBD.
“Clean is going to continue to be a movement beyond skincare.”
Artemis Patrick, Sephora’s CMO, and Claire McCormak, Beauty Independent’s Editor.
Sephora customers have a strong interest
Sephora is growing its clean beauty
in clean beauty. Patrick mentioned that,
assortment. Patrick noted Skylar is joining
prior to the rollout of Clean at Sephora, the
the retailer’s clean fragrance selection,
retailer discovered 60% of its customers
and she praised clean makeup brands
read every ingredient on ingredients
such as Ilia, Kosas and Bite Beauty, for
decks. Given the interest in clean beauty,
showing that clean makeup can be
Patrick underscored, “We’re in this for the
performance-driven. Patrick emphasized,
long run, and we’re going to keep going
“Clean is going to continue to be a
at it until we get our point across.”
movement beyond skincare.”
READ MORE
Sephora’s Artemis Patrick On Heightening The Retailer’s Clean Beauty Standards, Getting Real On Social Media And Pushing Forward With CBD
Clean clinical skincare brand Restorsea captured the audience and buyer prizes at the second annual Race For Shelf Space competition capping off the summit. The competition featured three brands exhibiting at Indie Beauty Expo Dallas—new sun-care company Tropic Labs and plant-based adaptogen deodorant product specialist Field Botanicals joined Restorsea—live on stage in a mock trade-show setting pitching their brands to a trio of spa and retail executives: The Spa at the Joule spa director Virginia Acosta, Neiman Marcus beauty buyer Kim D’Angelo and Dermstore vice president of
THE BRANDS
marketing Dawn Serpa. In their efforts to win over the executives, the brands were coached by expert merchant Kelly St. John, Oyl + Water founder Rachel Roberts and strategic growth consultant Joanie Taylor. Pao credits Taylor with helping her hone a triumphant pitch. “The idea of pairing a brand with a coach is
THE
genius,” she says. “Joanie was unbelievable. She focused on
R E TA I L E R S
making sure the key points in my pitch really came out, and she was right every time.” As a result of her Race For Shelf Space victory, Pao secured official meetings with Dermstore, Neiman Marcus and The Spa at the Joule, and a free ticket to
READ MORE
Restorsea Sweeps Race For Shelf Space Buyer And Audience Awards At The BeautyX Retail Summit
a future BeautyX of her choice.
13 National Retailers
36
12
Beauty Retail Speakers
Integrated Learning Courses
91%
of attendees are “likely” or “very likely” to recommend BeautyX to a friend or colleague
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