As beauty sales become more algorithmic and market-responsive, one of the industry’s biggest retail giants is turning to investor-grade “outside-in” alternative data to hone its merchandising and competitive intelligence.
Ulta Beauty is now using market insights from YipitData — gathered from external aggregated data sets such as purchase transactions, web scraping, and app activity — to inform its merchandising, consumer strategy, and other retail decisions.
YipitData is best known for providing intelligence to institutional investors trying to predict company performance before earnings. It’s since expanded to corporate and enterprise clientele.
The move signals a broader retail shift toward adding external market behavior to traditional corporate analytics, which have historically relied on inside data sources such as internal point-of-sale information, loyalty programs, and supplier reports.
“Ulta Beauty continues to set the pace for how retailers respond to evolving consumer preferences,” YipitData president James Hart says. “We’re pleased to support their team with a detailed, external perspective on the market, from competitive performance to emerging consumer trends, so they can move quickly and make well-informed decisions.”
The shift aims to give Ulta Beauty a faster read on competitor performance and category trends, an advantage in an industry where social media, celebrity influencers, and other factors cause rapid changes in consumer buying behavior.
“Maintaining a strong understanding of how shoppers engage with the broader beauty landscape is an important part of how we evolve our assortment and support our brand partners,” says Penny Coy, SVP Merchandising Skincare and Haircare at Ulta Beauty.
“YipitData provides visibility into competitive performance and category trends, strengthening our insights and helping us make more informed, data-driven decisions.”