Beauty and intimates company Victoria's Secret
"Through customer feedback and research, we've heard consumers want to purchase VS Beauty in Amazon's store and already search for the products on the site," said Greg Unis, CEO of Beauty at Victoria's Secret. "This is a natural channel extension for us."
This will be the first time that VS has sold its products through another retailer. As Unis stated, customers already shop for VS products on Amazon, but their options for purchase have previously been limited to third-party sellers.
"Amazon is a free marketplace and anybody is allowed to sell [there]," Unis said in an interview. "We knew there was a strong appetite by just being observant on the range of products that were already being sold."
The products that VS is officially adding to Amazon's platform are from the company's more affordable Victoria's Secret Beauty and Pink brands, but intimates and clothing are not being offered yet. Instead, customers will have access to beauty products including PINK mists, scrubs, and lotions, as well as scents and lotions from the company's top lines, Bombshell, Tease, Love Spell, and Pure Seduction.
"We're expanding our universe of consumers," Unis said. "And the way that we've set up the shop on the Amazon site, it almost feels like an extension of our own direct-to-consumer website."
The beauty branch of VS has become increasingly important for the company's sales over the past several years, accounting for nearly $1 billion or 15% of company sales in 2021. VS CEO Martin Waters says that recent projects from across the company have exceeded expectations, including the Victoria's Secret Love Cloud bra.
"We have strength everywhere which we feel good about," Waters said on an investor call.
Waters noted that a recent 4% sales growth at the company was led by "our intimates and beauty categories".
Despite that recent growth, VS expects overall sales for 2022 to remain largely flat. Working with Amazon could be one way for the company to attempt to change that. Along with the additional sales, entering the market with fragrances could open the door for VS to sell other types of products on the site. Execs said they would expand offerings based on customer demand.
Many companies have struggled in recent years to balance the potential for increased sales on Amazon with the lack of control inherent to selling on the platform.
