Before I moved anywhere near California I knew about Glossier's glowing retail stores, and the LA location was quickly added to my teenage self's bucket list. Without even looking inside, the outside was stunning: their signature pink is splashed in every corner of the building, which is all soft edges with a Hollywood studios inspired sign running along the side.
These stores aren't even called "stores": they're called showrooms. For good reason, too— the space is optimally arranged for trying the products, with bottles and tubes on display in every mirrored corner.
Glossier rose in popularity quicker than any beauty brand in existence, and this fact has always fascinated me. Beside their innovative (at the time) digital go-to-market strategy, I want to take a look at why Glossier is so strong as a brand, and how they've maintained a cult following for so many years. There is no formula for this type of success, so how did they get there?
A note: I focus on the Glossier location on Melrose in LA when discussing retail strategy, as that is the location I have physically been to.
They're not really selling beauty products.
Glossier was built on mood boards, aesthetic photos, and curated Instagram feeds. These photo collages were another way for Glossier to communicate their brand values to their customers, investors, and stakeholders.
Glossier is what's known as a lifestyle brand: they're not just selling their customers products, they're selling a community and more importantly, a feeling.
In Glossier's early years, their signature pink bubble wrap bag, accompanied by stickers, was a major point of brand interaction for them. These add-ons allowed customers to proudly represent the brand, or as Weiss put it, allowed Glossier to be "a brand whose sweatshirt you wanted to wear."
Glossier products fall into the aspirational category, and buying these products make consumers feel like they're a part of a club. They make them feel closer to their aspirational selves, to reaching the cool and carefree lifestyle shown on the models in the photos. They want to be the type of girl who casually pulls Glossier makeup out of her handbag and effortlessly slicks mascara onto her lashes. Championed by Emily Weiss's blog Into the Gloss, Glossier provided a way for this vision to be fulfilled and a space for her loyal readers to express themselves and share their love for beauty.
Their brand identity and brand codes are rock solid, which they've carried out in unique brand activations.
When consumers think of the word "Glossier," a clear picture comes to mind. 70% saturation of PMS 705 Pink (in other words, millennial pink). Natural, glowing. No-makeup makeup. A minimal, but not boring, aesthetic. Their signature typefaces and serifed G logo. Everything fresh, everything clean. Glossier was in on the "clean girl" trend before the trend even existed.
Weiss wanted to create a brand with values that others resonated with. Having fun, freedom of expression, and feeling good about yourself are reflected in every photo, campaign, and product they release.
Glossier's brand codes, or unique elements that make them stand out, are cemented into their story and history. I would say their most successful brand code is their color, which was dubbed "Glossier pink" by fashion magazines and Instagram users alike. Into the Gloss has an entire article focused on their pink moodboard. This just good business 101, but this type of consistency is what allows customers to trust that Glossier will deliver every time, and it keeps them coming back for more.
Glossier has nailed the concept of brand recognition, and they continue to deliver the promise of "cool girl" makeup products, as many fashion magazines love to call them. Their brand codes are written into their DNA, but the bottom line is... it's an aesthetic that people liked. It was universal enough to be relatable to many different types of makeup lovers, and they liked what they saw. They wanted to be a part of it, and be a part of it they did; in 2019, Glossier became a unicorn.
They've always maintained relative exclusivity, both on and offline.
Although they tout inclusivity, exclusivity is (ironically) something Glossier has always been great at cultivating. For the longest time, Glossier was not available for purchase anywhere except on glossier.com, or in one of their few retail locations. If you don't live in one of the cities that has a location, you're out of luck for in-store shopping. On top of that, their merch was only released in limited numbers, and would not restock particularly quickly.
Even now, Glossier is still only sold on their own website and now at Sephora (as of February 2023), where they've been for less than a year. As far as places you can go to buy beauty products, Sephora is the number one place to go for luxury and prestige products.
At some level, this digital exclusivity was in place to convey Glossier's commitment to being a digital brand, but it also meant that they had the type of exclusivity that keeps the brand desirable. After all, Glossier products wouldn't be nearly as coveted if they could be found in every Walmart or TJ Maxx.
This exclusivity isn't reserved for distribution: unfortunately, they were also quite exclusive in the products they offer and the models they used to show off the brand. The initial shade ranges were not inclusive in the slightest, presumably to cut costs.
Many people argued that Glossier models reinforced the unattainable beauty standard, with their glowing, clear skin and impossibly silky hair. This was not a visual most people were able to live up to, but it is an aesthetic that many women desire to have. It gave a sense of prestige. As usual, Glossier had something that people wanted.
Now for the retail space, which I visited in 2022.
The store design is unlike anything else offered in the beauty space.
These stores truly live up to their showroom name: a quick peek inside will let you know that this is Glossier heaven. Products are artfully lined up on minimal pink displays, with mirrors, sinks, and glass display cases galore. You can tell that everything has been meticulously planned out; there is not a hair out of place, and every window, pillar, and doorway has been tailored to live up to the Glossier name.
It's very experiential marketing-esque- being inside makes you feel like you've just stumbled into the pop-up of a luxury fashion brand. Everything is art, and everything coexists in milky pink harmony.
This is an experience that only Glossier can offer you. You're there for the brand. Their brand is what brings you into the store, and they reinforce your positive associations with their brand by providing a jaw-dropping beautiful aesthetic experience.
The shopping experience is not your typical grocery store run.
This is not a store that you walk into and quickly move out of. You're not just there to shop; the store design allows you to take delightfully pink Instagram photos, sit on the marble steps sourced from Portugal, and roam around washing your hands with luxurious Glossier soaps and spritzing yourself with their You Eau de Parfum. You're there to enjoy the experience and fully immerse yourself into Glossier's world. There aren't any checkout counters, and Glossier employees (called "Editors") are roaming around, ready to cater to your every need. When you inevitably end up buying a product or two, you're handed a chic pink bag with your name handwritten on the side.
One of the focal points mentioned in many articles are the giant tubes of boy brow and cloud paint, positioned in front of a giant mirror that says, "YOU LOOK GOOD."
Once again, this is part of the "Glossier experience." The luxurious sinks, spots to take photos, and tailored customer service are a uniquely Glossier combination, laden with their branding at every corner.
Every step Emily Weiss took with Glossier was part of a painstakingly put together overarching strategy, as reflected in every carefully planned piece of the Glossier puzzle. In the end, much of Glossier's success can be attributed to having Emily Weiss as its founder and leader. Everything I've mentioned has been a result of Weiss's vision, leadership, and ambition.
If you like what you see, my socials are linked in the sidebar and at the bottom of the webpage, so feel free to follow for more :)
xoxo,
Emma
Citations
Brown, Pauline. Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond. First edition. New York: HarperCollins, 2019.
Meltzer, Marisa. Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss’s Glossier. First One Signal Publishers/Atria Books hardcover edition. New York: Atria Books, 2023.
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