What: Data from Placer.ai shows foot traffic rising above pre-pandemic levels in Ulta Beauty, Bath & Body Works and select Sephora locations.

Why is it important: Beauty is making a big comeback in the brick-and-mortar retail channel. Data from Placer.ai, which monitors foot traffic across the retail industry, reported steady growth across Ulta Beauty and Bath & Body Works‘ entire store fleets, as well as the four, tracked locations of Sephora in California, Colorado, Tennessee and Georgia.

Placer.ai’s vice president of marketing said the interest is reflective of the pandemic fading as well as a growing interest in beauty. Although all three retailers have robust store footprints, Sephora’s expansion beyond urban areas is pivotal for foot traffic.

For instance, Ulta Beauty increases in foot traffic by month, as compared to 2020, before the pandemic-related store closures.

Ulta Beauty:

• February 2022: +7.5 percent

• January 2022: +11.1 percent

• December 2022: +16.1 percent

Beauty’s physical store comeback