A year into the pandemic, the beauty supply industry began to rally and visits to the make-up counter began to rebound. That was great news for the industry, which saw more than 80% of sales derive from in-store purchases. That upward trajectory has continued since then, according to analytics firm Placer.ai. 

Compared to both 2019 and 2021, visits to beauty industry venues have increased significantly, Placer.ai says in a new white paper, Beauty’s Irresistible Allure. Throughout 2022, foot traffic remained between 13.4% and 30.9% higher than it was pre-pandemic.  

Although 2021 saw particularly strong performance from March onwards, visits in 2022 were also up year over year. This increase in foot traffic was driven, in part, by leading retailers like Ulta Beauty and Sephora  expanding their fleets to keep up with growing demand. 

While the sector is doing well overall, some strategies have proven especially successful at enhancing performance, says Placer.ai. The white paper dives into the data to explore how things like targeting the right audiences and increasing brand exposure can help an already flourishing industry do even better.