Between viral trends, shifting consumer behavior, and supply chain tumult, being set up for success in beauty today takes a lot more than a good primer. At Shoptalk Europe in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this month, global beauty leaders from L’Oréal, Coty, The Estée Lauder Companies, and LVMH, shared the foundations they’re laying to navigate today’s (and tomorrow’s) challenges.

L’Oréal and Coty on social commerce

During a panel focused on meeting future shoppers’ needs, Mark Elkins, GM of global e-commerce at L’Oréal, discussed the beauty giant’s approach to social media and social commerce.

Beauty is an “emotionally engaging and socially engaging” business, and he noted that 90% of consumers turn to ratings and reviews to inform their purchases. Meanwhile, omnichannel shoppers have jumped from 10% to 50% of L’Oréal’s business in the last five years as more consumers shop online, making social touchpoints like TikTok increasingly crucial, he said.

L’Oréal was an early partner of TikTok, but mastering social commerce isn’t easy (and requires lots of fees—paid to the platform, media partners, and creatives and affiliates).

“You’ve got to feed the content monster, which can be very costly,” he said, noting that working backward from consumer behavior to fully grasp how the algorithm works has been essential. “It’s not just a question about throwing media dollars at the platform and hoping it will work.”

Keep reading here.—EC

Retail media is a daunting space for retailers as they keep up with the dual pressures of the pace of growth and relentless evolution.

To rise above the competition, CVS is partnering with social platform Reddit to run pure play digital ad placements.

“Retail media is perfectly positioned to really connect consumers across multiple platforms,” Parbinder Dhariwal, VP and general manager at CMX, CVS’s retail media arm, told Retail Brew.

On Reddit, CVS will concentrate on promoted posts and conversation placements, which organically match user behavior on the platform. These ads will enable brands to generate traffic and sales by naturally joining trusted conversations between users in relevant communities.

Keep reading here.—VC

This Thursday is Juneteenth, which is meant to recognize the end of slavery in the US, but don’t expect those staying open to offer any holiday-branded deals. While some brands attempted to use the relatively new federal holiday as an opportunity for promotions, the practice has garnered criticism in recent years for crassly commercializing the holiday.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In data releases: The Commerce Department’s May retail sales data is due out this Wednesday. The April report showed a month over month increase of 0.1% from March and a 5.2% increase from the previous April. Some blamed that lackluster reading on tariffs dampening demand. This report could show more evidence of tariff headwinds, but a 90-day pause on the heaviest China tariffs could mitigate that effect.

Keep reading here.—AV

The Rewiring Retail agenda is live! Join Retail Brew on July 23 to explore how top brands are using data, inventory strategy, and customer experience innovation to stay ahead. Don’t miss the insights, strategies, and speakers shaping the future of retail—attend in NYC or virtually. Check out the agenda.