WWD’s LA Beauty Conference: Sonia Spills Beauty Barrage’s ‘Secret To Success’
Beauty Barrage’s Founder & CEO, Sonia Summers
Beauty Barrage has made a name for itself by helping brands grow successfully at retail, with over 300 ambassadors who support brand partners in stores such as Sephora, Nordstrom, and Ulta Beauty. At the WWD Los Angeles Beauty event last month, Sonia Summers (CEO and founder of Beauty Barrage) discussed how brands can successfully position themselves in order to succeed at retail with Jayme Cyk (contributing beauty editor at WWD and Beauty Inc, and co-founder of And Repeat).
Summers started off by acknowledging the value of being able to speak in person, stating that retail still relies heavily on face-to-face interaction for consumers to learn new things and have new experiences. According to Summers, creating a unique in-store experience is crucial for brands to come alive and succeed in the retail space. She went on to emphasize that it's not enough for a brand to simply get on the shelves; they must also develop a budget and plan for how to support the brand at retail.
"Even the retailers want you to do that," she explained. “You have a brand and you’re spending all this money on digital, and you need to, so that the brand comes alive on social, but then when a brand goes to retail it’s just sitting on the shelf,” she said. “The biggest thing that works is when you have someone building a signature experience at the store. It’s not just that we’re doing events, it’s the way that you interact with a consumer.”
Beauty Barrage's approach to building relationships and providing value through its ambassadors is central to the company's philosophy. Ambassadors help consumers learn how to use products, understand key ingredients, and appreciate the brand ethos. Summers explained that this specialized support across various retailers is a key factor in helping brands find success.
According to Summers, data analysis plays an important role in making data-driven decisions to develop a focused retail approach that benefits both parties. Beauty Barrage shares data with its brand partners in real-time through its mobile app and portal, allowing for more informed sales and strategy decisions. Summers advises brands to start small by launching in a select number of stores, rather than attempting to enter every retailer location at once, using data to identify those that will be most successful. "If you don’t have the budget to go into all of those doors, I would say take a very small approach as for 50 doors," she said. "Then support the hell out of those doors and keep that brand alive on social and digital and grow from there.”
Beauty Barrage’s ambassadors, who are full-time employees rather than freelancers, have a vested interest in promoting the brands they represent and have the opportunity to expand their knowledge by working within the same brands over time. This approach gives ambassadors ‘skin in the game,’ as they represent brands from a narrative perspective. “For me, it’s providing real jobs that pay them well, opportunities to grow within the business,” said Summers. “So just as our company is super high touch with our accounts, because we love our accounts and our brand partners, we are very much high touch with our own field team.”
Are you ready to take your brand to the next level in the retail space? Beauty Barrage is here to help! With a focus on creating signature experiences and leveraging data-driven insights to drive sales, Beauty Barrage has helped countless brands succeed in top retailers across the country. Their team of full-time brand ambassadors provides a personalized touch that ensures your brand message resonates with consumers. Whether you're looking to launch in select stores or expand your reach nationwide, Beauty Barrage can help you achieve your goals. Get in touch today at info@beautybarrage.com.