Glossier Is Embracing IRL Commerce With 3 Permanent Stores

Glossier was established in 2014 with a mission to democratize the beauty industry. At a time when top brands primarily parked themselves in elite department stores and lacked presence on social media, Glossier wanted to facilitate an online makeup economy. Now it's 2021, and people want to do stuff in person again, so the digital-first brand is committing to a hybrid model by opening physical stores in Seattle, Los Angeles and London. Top line The brand permanently closed its two flagship stores during the pandemic and decided to start fresh in new spaces. The stores will each be open by the end of the year and Glossier plans to expand to New York City and beyond in 2022. While Glossier is married to an online model, the brand has also established a physical presence by experimenting with pop-ups over the years, which have ranged from an escape room in New York City's SoHo neighborhood to a greenhouse-themed makeup hub in Seattle. "Each of these stores is designed to inspire everyone to find joy and confidence in their personal beauty style, with a customer journey centered around self-discovery and belonging," said founder and CEO Emily Weiss in a statement. Glossier's pop-up store in Boston. Between the lines While many of the retail trends that existed during the pandemic might not be going away, consumers are ready to embrace in-person shopping in some capacity. Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst at research firm Forrester, predicts in-person retail will not look much different than it did before the pandemic, but it will be crucial for makeup stores in particular to figure out how to keep the hands-on experience safe. "They'll need to figure out samples," Kodali told Adweek. "The sampling is pretty essential because without it, you may as well just buy online." Bottom line Glossier has focused on building a virtual presence focused on accessible beauty by creating informal beauty vlogs with WNBA players and releasing campaigns that are conversational in nature. The brand seems obsessed with its role in the digital economy, but Chelsea Gross, director of digital commerce and industry analyst at research company Gartner, believes establishing a strong in-person presence is a wise business decision. "As physical store and experiential traffic resumes into this summer and fall, permanent structures will enable more stability for the brand," she said to Adweek. "The Glossier team will benefit from a number of 'permanent' operations physical stores enable, such as having an outpost for consumers to pick up orders, engage with customer service questions and maintain brand awareness during holiday periods.” HipDot Launches a Clueless-Inspired Makeup Collection for Aspiring Bettys and Baldwins