Wal-Mart Puts New Face On Cosmetics Department
The changes come as department stores have been trying to impart a more free-flowing, Sephora-like atmosphere to their cosmetic areas, and drug stores and mass outlets try to encourage more consumer-friendly cosmetics sections with more product testers and better displays to boost sales.
The Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is a smaller sister to the Wal-Mart superstore, using what Wal-Mart describes as a "neighborhood store format." Currently, 112 are open, and plans call for another 15 or 20 over the next year.
The new 39,000-square-foot Tulsa store is the first one with the new cosmetics department design, and will also be used to test other new concepts, the company said in a statement. The cosmetics department features track spotlights, backlit pale-blue signage, curved aisles, and pictures of models sitting atop displays showing the latest products and trends, for a more glamorous look.
The cosmetic department is positioned away from food and the front of the store, and closer to the pharmacy and stationery departments. The redesign was based on "months of consumer research," the company said.
Wal-Mart is trying to create a more personalized shopping experience, along the lines of the store-within-a-store feeling created by Victoria's Secret's beauty section. On hand at the Tulsa store's grand opening on Wednesday to give makeup and hair consultations were a Maybelline makeup artist/consultant and Garnier Fructis celebrity hairstylist Chuck Hezekia--whose clients include Mischa Barton, Nicole Richie and Joss Stone.
Wal-Mart is a key retailer for marketers of packaged goods and beauty items, and its 23,000 stores account for about a quarter of total U.S. sales--ranging from 20% to as much as 40% depending on the product category, marketers have said.
Recent Marketing Daily Articles
-
Beer Category Grows Most In Brand Rankings May 23, 12:40 a.m.
Beer was the highest growth category in this year’s BrandZ rankings -- up 36% year-over-year, according ... -
Saks Soars; Target Misses May 22, 6:10 p.m.
It’s a buzzy week for retailers. While mass chains such as Target and Lowe’s say the ... -
Cricket Makes More From Less May 22, 4 p.m.
Prepaid wireless carrier Cricket Communications is taking direct aim at customers of the larger, post-paid companies ... -
Seattle's Best Promos New Drive-Thru Format May 22, 3:43 p.m.
Seattle’s Best Coffee has simultaneously opened 10 “drive-thrus” in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This marks the ... -
Balance Bar Unveils 1st National TV Ads In 10+ Years May 22, 6:26 a.m.
Balance Bar -- one of America’s first nutrition/energy bar products (launched in 1992) -- is looking ... -
Crowne Plaza Measures PGA Tour Sleep Habits May 21, 11:21 p.m.
Just in time for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial tournament this week, Crowne Plaza Hotels ... -
Dodge Goes Social With 'Defiance' May 21, 4:44 p.m.
Chrysler LLC's Dodge, which has category-exclusive sponsorship of the "Defiance" TV show and online game for ... -
Microsoft Unveils Xbox One May 21, 2:34 p.m.
For a presentation that was obstensibly about a new gaming console, Microsoft’s unveiling of its next-generation ... -
Telematics Ecosystem Booming, But Caution Advised May 21, 2:05 p.m.
The head of marketing for, say, Starbucks, is probably thinking about cars. Specifically, how to go ... -
Sony Touts Ultra High-Definition TVs May 21, 12:19 p.m.
We’ve been through the HDTV era and the 3DTV era -- now get ready for the ...
Be the first to comment on "Wal-Mart Puts New Face On Cosmetics Department "
Leave a Comment