For a couple decades, building an “Everything Store” was the fastest way to grow market share online. Selection was king and variety caught consumers' attention. However allowing practically all products from every seller onto a marketplace also created a problem of choice overload. While reviews and product recommendations were designed to help drive customers towards the best products for their needs, selection still at times feels like a game of finding a needle in a haystack. This opened up the opportunity for competing retailers to differentiate themselves through curation.
Jumping on that curation bandwagon this week are Ulta Beauty and Shein.
Ulta Beauty's new CEO Kecia Steelman shared on a recent earnings call that the company plans to launch a new online marketplace later this year that will expand its e-commerce presence and allow it to offer a broader range of beauty and wellness products. The marketplace will be available to brands on an invitation-only basis so that Ulta Beauty can curate the selection. Customers will be able to earn points on their marketplace purchases as well as make returns to Ulta Beauty stores.
Shein, which has historically leaned towards selection variety over curation, also announced its plans to add curated fashion storefronts to its website, saying there’s one to match every style and help shoppers find the wardrobe they want. The first Trend Stores to launch include Serve Party, City Sleek, Resort Ready, Street Scene, and Effortless Ease.
In Shein's case, their curated fashion storefronts are more of a way to feature existing products from their inventory as opposed to curating which products reach their marketplace in the first place — but the goal is similar: to streamline product selection for customers.
I'm a big believer in curation. In fact, some might say I know a thing or two about (news) curation myself here at Shopifreaks…