Seeking out affordable “splurges”, consumers turn to the “lipstick index” for their shopping therapy.

Foregoing the urge for a new TV or other big-ticket purchase, consumers are instead opting for smaller, prestige items and, without a second thought, are ultimately carrying the weight of the retail industry’s return to normal – with much of the category’s growth seen coming from households earning over $100,000/year. With this in mind, Target and Ulta’s partnership to include the latter’s prestige-branded shops inside Target stores throughout the nation seems more and more a checkmate move ultimately favoring the bold. Walmart too, has sought to get in on the action and we expect to see a lot of interesting plays like this in the coming year.

Accelerated Analytics helps brands not only drive success with their business, but demonstrate ownership of coveted retail shelf space. We work with the raw data that retailers provide (such as portal files, EDI 852 documents, etc.) and help make sense of this data, organizing it into practical, actionable, and human-readable data points that help your brand management team navigate the daily changes in consumer tides. A level of inventory management, nimbleness, and readiness that retailers like Ulta expect, yet don’t always see. We know Ulta…

Check out our dedicated Ulta Reports here. Then, let’s set up a meet to look over your brand’s use of its available data and how our sales reporting tools can help your brand specifically stay ahead of the curve at box stores like Target and Ulta.