Target is a very well-known company for the diverse amounts of products they have in their stores. They have a large beauty section located usually near the front. It has a variety of products like: hair products, skin (makeup or skin-care), and nail products.
They are most famous for their affordable “drug store” makeup products, with 90% of new arrivals priced under $20. I think they could attract even more customers if they sold other luxurious products that stores like Sephora and Ulta sell.
If they sold popular brands like: Charlotte Tilbury, rhode, and Rare Beauty, it would become another outlet for customers to buy from. It can also be convenient because many people already do their grocery shopping at Target, allowing them to purchase both their groceries and the higher-end products they use all in one trip.
Often, Sephora and Ulta stores can be very busy and packed, which can make people second guess physically going into and browsing the stores. If Target allows these products to be sold in their stores, it will decrease the crowd that happens with the other two companies.
In some Target stores there is a small version of an Ulta Beauty, but starting August 2026 that partnership will be cut. Target will have to fill the gap in the beauty section after the partnership cuts, and it could be very beneficial if they took the “one-stop” shopping title. They will pull in more customers to buy the products in the beauty section, and make more money by selling the more expensive products.
With these new “premium-brand” products, it could increase traffic for the first couple of months or weeks that they are first launched. There is already discussion of Target’s customers complaining of long checkout lines and understaffed stores.
The expertise that the employees of Sephora and Ulta have in their stores are very beneficial to the customers, and help the customers find a perfect product for them. This is a distinct advantage of buying makeup from those stores, but without the added convenience of doing everything at one spot.
The employees at these makeup stores usually have their employees walking around and available if any of the customers have questions. Without this expertise of the employees, customers will question getting the products because Target wouldn’t have that same level of knowledgeable employees as Sephora and Ulta do.
Should Target upgrade and add these products? What will the consequences be of their decision?
