How Sally Beauty Supply Managed To Double Its Competition's Foot Traffic

Everyone tuned into the beauty world is probably familiar with Sally Beauty Supply. Beauty lovers can purchase a plethora of products from the company. In fact, according to the company's website, the company sells products related to hair coloring and care, nail polishes and nail care items, makeup, skincare products, and even supplies for functioning salons. Plus, there are countless brands from which shoppers can choose, only a few of which include Sauce Beauty, Babe Lash, and Palladio.

Sally Beauty Supply has been around since 1964, and, naturally, many people probably wondered how long the company would last, as the cosmetics industry is notoriously competitive. Other popular beauty retailers like Sephora and Ulta Beauty are noteworthy competition, as these companies also sell many desirable brands in the industry. But Sally Beauty Supply seems to have nothing to worry about; the long-lasting retailer is winning the foot traffic game in the U.S. But by just how much are they winning?

According to data collected by SafeGraph, Sally Beauty Supply has had much more foot traffic than Sephora and Ulta Beauty. While Sephora and Ulta Beauty seem remarkably close, Sally Beauty Supply's numbers tower over them.

Looking at the numbers closely, we see that on January 7, 2019, Sephora and Ulta Beauty were neck-and-neck with foot traffic numbers of 43,752 and 45,915 in the U.S., respectively, while Sally Beauty had a whopping 89,854 visits. Then, jumping to January 4, 2021, Sephora and Ulta Beauty's visits came in at 30,046 and 53,828, respectively, while Sally Beauty Supply nearly doubled their numbers at 95,438 visits. Fast forward to July 2022 and Sally Beauty Supply is still the clear frontrunner at 78,620 visits, while Sephora and Ulta Beauty trail far behind at 17,950 and 32,138 visits, respectively.

There are many reasons why Sally Beauty Supply has had so much more foot traffic than its competitors. For instance, Sally Beauty Supply posts consistently on Instagram and TikTok, following relevant trends such as the "Little Miss" trend taking over Instagram and using captions that encourage engagement.

Moreover, Sally Beauty Supply's prices seem noticeably more affordable; the first mascaras that pop up on its website have lower prices than those at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. Many lipsticks at Sally Beauty Supply also seem to have lower prices than the options at Sephora and Ulta Beauty. Life is expensive, so customers appreciate affordable cosmetics.