What: Ulta Beauty launches a curated, invitation-only online marketplace to accelerate brand onboarding and compete with Amazon’s growing beauty dominance.

Why it is important:  Ulta’s approach highlights the growing importance of loyalty programmes and curated experiences to differentiate from mass-market platforms like Amazon.

Ulta Beauty’s launch of UB Marketplace marks a decisive shift in its digital strategy, introducing a curated, invitation-only platform that accelerates the onboarding of over 100 new brands, many of which were previously unavailable in-store or online. This model allows Ulta to quickly respond to emerging beauty trends and consumer demand, bypassing traditional merchandising bottlenecks and enabling brands to join the platform in days rather than months. The marketplace is designed to offer a seamless experience for both customers and sellers, with features such as loyalty points, sponsored listings, and easy returns, while maintaining strict curation standards to ensure authenticity and quality. Ulta’s decision to end its Target shop-in-shop partnership further signals a renewed focus on proprietary channels and digital innovation, aligning with industry trends toward omnichannel integration and data-driven growth. By leveraging its established loyalty program and digital capabilities, Ulta positions itself to compete more effectively with Amazon and other e-commerce giants, aiming to double or triple its marketplace assortment in the coming years. 

IADS Notes: Ulta Beauty’s marketplace launch and strategic pivot are consistent with recent industry developments. In October 2024, Ulta outlined a turnaround strategy focused on digital innovation and younger consumers (BoF, October 2024), while July 2025 saw the acquisition of Space NK to support international growth and premium positioning (BeautyInc, July 2025). June 2025 BCG analysis highlighted the importance of marketplace integration and new revenue streams for retail competitiveness (BCG, June 2025). The end of the Target partnership in August 2025 further underscores Ulta’s commitment to proprietary channels and omnichannel excellence (The Wall Street Journal, August 2025), as retailers increasingly prioritise direct control and digital-first engagement.

Ulta Beauty launches marketplace