The Magic Behind Ulta Beauty's Marketing

Ulta Beauty's team identified inefficiencies in updating specific product SKUs when items were out of stock. With a manual method that relied on static product data, the team always had a significant amount of work and a sense of urgency whenever the last-minute change occurred.

To address this issue, Ulta Beauty implemented a campaign that utilizes five API data sources: inventory, product recommendations, store information, ratings and reviews, and their loyalty system. Movable Ink was crucial in synchronizing this information and effectively targeting customers based on the time of day and their recent behaviors.

In this particular campaign, the focus is on points accumulation for customers. Movable Ink calculates the number of points each customer will earn if they make a purchase based on their current loyalty status.

Results: 34.1% lift in conversion rate, 95% decrease in production time

Ulta Beauty understands that customers may require some additional motivation to finalize their purchase. Because of this, they implemented a recently browsed email sent to any shopper who engaged with a product on their website or app. However, Ulta Beauty's efforts go beyond just sending a basic trigger email.

This communication is meticulously customized and provides a tailored experience for each customer. It begins with a dynamic headline that showcases the number of available points, if applicable, and highlights their potential rewards. Additionally, the email incorporates various elements such as product ratings, relevant recommendations, a store locator, and the customer's loyalty dashboard.

By adopting this new and improved approach to encourage customers to make a purchase, Ulta Beauty has achieved magnificent lifts in click-through rates.

Results: 316.67% lift in click-through rate

This module, developed by the team at Ulta Beauty and powered by Movable Ink, was a poll featured at the bottom of their 2022 year-in-review campaign. As an incentive for reading the comprehensive recap, customers received 30 points in exchange for answering a question about their favorite trend.

Upon providing their answer, Ulta Beauty was automatically notified to send a targeted communication to the customer, informing them that their bonus points were being processed along with product recommendations related to their response.

Results: 20.8% lift in clicks

Ulta Beauty incorporates an abandoned cart banner at the beginning of every customer email, displaying the number of items left behind. But what about those recipients who have an empty cart?

Ulta Beauty's astute marketers always plan ahead, anticipating the needs of their customers. To ensure a personalized experience for all recipients, they implemented a contingency plan. In such cases, a store locator feature is displayed instead of the abandoned cart banner, allowing customers to easily find their nearest Ulta Beauty store.

By employing this fallback logic, Ulta Beauty ensures that even though the customer may not have an active cart, they still receive valuable information that resonates with them in every email.