Screenshot 2025-08-04 at 09.00.58

- 25:21

Interview

or listen on

Inside Ulta Beauty’s Digital Transformation: From Personalization to Marketplace

📍 Singapore

At NRF APAC 2025 in Singapore, Josh Friedman, Senior Vice President of Digital & E-commerce at Ulta Beauty, shared how the company is redefining beauty retail through a blend of personalization, innovation, and omnichannel strategy. With more than 1,400 stores, 45 million loyalty members, and a track record of double-digit e-commerce growth, Ulta is setting the pace for what modern beauty shopping can be.

Central to Ulta’s approach is the seamless integration of digital and physical experiences. Initiatives like Shop My Store give customers real-time visibility into local inventory, while partnerships with DoorDash and Instacart enable same-day delivery from any of Ulta’s store locations. The company’s 200,000-member online community is quickly becoming a space where customers, brands, and Ulta associates connect over product recommendations, trends, and events. “It’s really about being relevant and telling her what she wants to hear instead of what we want to say,” Friedman noted.

Ulta is also expanding its product ecosystem with a curated, invitation-only beauty and wellness marketplace set to launch this fall. This platform will allow hundreds of vetted sellers to join the Ulta experience without compromising the brand’s commitment to quality and trust. The marketplace not only opens new revenue streams but also provides a testing ground for emerging beauty and wellness products that may eventually reach physical stores.

Behind these initiatives lies a sophisticated data and technology backbone. Ulta is leveraging first-party and zero-party data, enhanced by AI-powered decision-making, to deliver personalized product recommendations, tailored messaging, and localized experiences. For Friedman, AI is not the goal but the enabler—helping Ulta deliver relevance, convenience, and inspiration at scale. By combining human connection with digital innovation, Ulta is positioning itself as a leader in the next era of beauty retail.

Listen more

Retail Intelligence in Action

Black Friday Performance Data Explained. What Actually Drove Growth This Year

Across Ometria’s client base, Black Friday revenue grew 15 percent year on year, with orders, average order value, and basket size all increasing.

Across Ometria’s client base, Black Friday revenue grew 15 percent year on year, with orders, average order value, and basket size all increasing.

Retail Intelligence in Action

Across Ometria’s client base, Black Friday revenue grew 15 percent year on year, with orders, average order value, and basket size all increasing.

Black Friday Performance Data Explained. What Actually Drove Growth This Year

Across Ometria’s client base, Black Friday revenue grew 15 percent year on year, with orders, average order value, and basket size all increasing.

Interview

Why Retail Media Is Entering Its Most Transformative Phase

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

Interview

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

Why Retail Media Is Entering Its Most Transformative Phase

For years, retailers operated with managed service models that limited transparency and slowed execution. Now, brands want direct control, real-time measurement, and unified planning across media formats.

Interview

Why Retailers Need a Blueprint Mindset to Survive the Next Decade

Retail moves fast. Customer expectations shift, digital journeys evolve and emerging technologies constantly reshape what good looks like.

Retail moves fast. Customer expectations shift, digital journeys evolve and emerging technologies constantly reshape what good looks like.

Interview

Retail moves fast. Customer expectations shift, digital journeys evolve and emerging technologies constantly reshape what good looks like.

Why Retailers Need a Blueprint Mindset to Survive the Next Decade

Retail moves fast. Customer expectations shift, digital journeys evolve and emerging technologies constantly reshape what good looks like.

Trends

Retail 2025 and NRF 2026: Insights from Jill Dvorak

Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Trends

Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Retail 2025 and NRF 2026: Insights from Jill Dvorak

Jill Dvorak spends her time at the intersection of retailers, policymakers, and global markets, which gives her a unique and honest perspective on what is really happening inside the industry.

Interview

The Norrøna Way: A Century of Design, Nature and Loyal Communities

Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

Interview

Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

The Norrøna Way: A Century of Design, Nature and Loyal Communities

Norrøna’s commitment to nature goes beyond gear. The brand has increasingly invested in community building through adventure travel, hospitality and events.

Receive new exclusive episodes


Sign up for our newsletter now!

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.