Dive Brief:
- To promote beauty and athleticism, Ulta Beauty has assembled its Ulta Beauty Roster, a group of professional female athletes enlisted to participate in omnichannel marketing and digital content, the retailer announced Wednesday.
- The collective features pickleball player Anna Leigh Waters, basketball player Dearica Hamby, tennis player Emma Navarro, volleyball player Madisen Skinner, soccer player Midge Purce and flag football player Vanita Krouch.
- The retailer has created digital trading cards featuring the athletes, highlighting their favorite beauty products and emphasizing their confidence, self-expression, strength and other traits that drive athletic success. The cards will direct fans toward each athlete’s beauty essentials.
Dive Insight:
Launched on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Ulta Beauty’s campaign aims to share the beauty routines and rituals of top athletes and encourage girls to participate in sports and give back to their communities.
“We created the Ulta Beauty Roster because these incredible women embody the transformative power of both sport and beauty,” Kelly Mahoney, chief marketing officer for Ulta Beauty, said in a statement. “Through this initiative, we're not only celebrating their remarkable achievements but also inspiring the next generation to see that when we bring together beauty and athleticism, the possibilities are beautiful.”
Along with its athlete tie-up, the retailer has also tried other ways to reach shoppers. Last October, the company debuted its UB Marketplace with more than 100 new brands, with plans to continue to quickly scale its assortment.
As Ulta Beauty concentrates on its digital strategy, the retailer may deploy AI to attract customers. During the National Retail Federation’s 2026 Big Show last month, Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman mentioned that AI could help the company harness customer data to provide product recommendations that are more personalized and predictive.
In addition to building out its e-commerce operations, the retailer has also shifted some of its brick-and-mortar strategy. Last year, Ulta and Target announced that the companies mutually decided to end their shop-in-shop collaboration this August after five years. Target at the time stated it would continue to offer a differentiated beauty assortment, while Ulta highlighted its online marketplace.
In Ulta’s Q3, net sales jumped 12.9% from the year-ago quarter to $2.9 billion, while comparable sales rose 6.3% year over year. Net income fell 4.7% to $230.9 million.
