As consumers seek more convenient buying options for even the most historically on-site trial-based categories, the beauty industry is transforming to meet shoppers’ increasing Click-and-Mortar™ expectations. Ulta Beauty, for instance, discussed this demand for shopping journeys that combine the digital and physical at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference. “We really think about our business through an omnichannel lens, and we think both our digital as well as our brick-and-mortar business has a really important role in working together and driving growth,” Ulta Beauty Chief Financial Officer Paula Oyibo said. “…When a guest engages with us across multiple touchpoints, whether it is in our stores or online, in our app or on our site, as well as UB at Target, they engage more, they’re more loyal and they spend more. … Omnichannel guests spend 2.5 times to 3 times more than our brick-and-mortar-only guests.”

As consumers around the world look for more engaging purchasing experiences, livestream shopping is expanding internationally. Zara, for instance, is reportedly expanding its live shopping to the United States, United Kingdom and Europe after seeing a sales increase from its streams in China. In April, Amazon launched an Amazon Live streaming channel on its Prime Video and Freevee platforms with shoppable content featuring celebrity talent

Zara is reportedly bringing its live-shopping broadcasts — already popular in China — to the U.S. The fast fashion brand is aiming for new ways to attract shoppers as sales cool following a post-pandemic boom, Reuters reported Monday (June 3). The report noted information from retail analytics company EDITED showing that five-hour live shopping broadcasts in China, held each week by Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese sister site, have helped drive up Zara’s sales since they premiered in November