How Beauty Retail Delivered Standout In‑Store Execution at Christmas

Within the lead‑as much as Christmas, magnificence retailers in London pulled out all of the stops to seize shopper consideration, create memorable experiences and maximise spending within the Golden Quarter, the essential remaining three months of the yr.

Mintel BPC analysts Georgia and Shiyan hit the streets to witness these activations first-hand and share their insights under.

Past conventional Christmas decorations and present units, retailers tapped into key retail execution and rising magnificence tendencies to distinguish and encourage customers to spend extra time in-store.

Magnificence retailers introduced the excitement of on-line magnificence cultures into bodily areas, serving to visualise social tendencies in actual life by means of in-store model activation and information customers to trending merchandise.

Okay-Magnificence turned a staple for magnificence customers in 2025, with many studying about magnificence merchandise and tendencies through social media. Christmas 2025 marked many Okay-Magnificence retailers’ first festive interval and gave gift-buyers the chance to entry cult favourites simply. Okay-Magnificence retailers PureSeoul and SkinCupid tapped into a number of tendencies together with personalisation, gamification and charms. Make-up model Glow launched a playful bear plushie keychain, accessible at PureSeoul, designed to be hooked up to baggage.

In the meantime, SkinCupid introduced ‘FragranceTok’ to life with a big eye-catching show of fruits and botanicals illustrating the perfume notes in Add’ct’s line of fragrances. The visually hanging show makes shopping for perfume approachable and enjoyable, eradicating among the jargon typically utilized by content material creators.

Trending-on-social Christmas items had been entrance and centre at Boots and House NK, the place curated present units and daring merchandising made it straightforward for customers to select up merchandise that replicate on-line magnificence conversations. This ‘social-first’ merchandising bridges the hole between digital inspiration and real-world buy, as one in 5 of UK BPC in-store consumers have bought merchandise from a ‘trending on social media’ show in a store, driving impulse buys and shareable content material.

With the sheet quantity of magnificence merchandise, magnificence aisles could be tough to navigate, supported by and 68% of UK adults saying that the quantity of magnificence/grooming merchandise accessible is overwhelming. Retailers are overcoming this with steering and a give attention to curation.

At Liberty, the Perfume Lounge organises scents by olfactory household moderately than model, making exploration intuitive and academic. Guests may also e-book personal, one-on-one consultations with a Perfume Concierge, elevating perfume purchasing right into a extra related supply given {that a} important 71% of UK adults who’ve purchased magnificence items up to now yr suppose retailers ought to supply extra in-store recommendation.

PureSeoul’s Discovery Zone simplified the purchasing journey. By highlighting the latest Okay-Magnificence manufacturers, the retailer guides customers by means of a crowded panorama and encourages experimentation. This curated method turns complexity into pleasure by empowering customers to discover manufacturers that they’re prone to be unfamiliar with, having solely lately launched within the UK.

Experiential retail remained a core pillar to raise the purchasing expertise and construct a model’s in-store presence, with many manufacturers layering interactivity, gamification and wellness into retail areas through the festive season.

Chanel’s Winter Constellation Pop-Up dazzled Covent Backyard with a celestial gentle set up celebrating the long-lasting No5 bottle. Customers had been in a position to scan QR codes to disclose ‘falling stars’ digital interactivity moments. Workers carried adorned Chanel No5 baggage, which added a theatrical contact to spark dialog and curiosity amongst guests.

The gamification pattern was at play in a number of shops, together with Profit, SkinCupid and The Physique Store. Claw machines, playable with a spend threshold, inspired retailer guests to spend extra, created memorable experiences and social-ready photograph alternatives. Making use of nostalgia-inspired video games, akin to Chess, Tamagotchi, together with a playable Operation-style recreation in retailer, Profit’s prolonged its gaming theme throughout in-store shows, social media content material and present units.

Rituals welcomed Oxford Avenue customers to take a break from the busy purchasing season with its Thoughts Oasis. Opening simply forward of Christmas 2025, the area options therapies akin to a Mind Therapeutic massage, claiming to ship the sensation of two hours of sleep in half-hour and a Hydro Therapeutic massage for alleviating bodily stress, an activation that blends wellness with retail in a compelling means.

The 2025 festive season bolstered that magnificence retail is not nearly promoting merchandise; it’s about creating moments. From social media impressed merchandising to gamified engagement alternatives and curated discovery, these methods present how bodily areas can stay related and thrilling.

With six in ten of UK BPC consumers say looking merchandise in a store is a enjoyable/pleasurable option to spend their time, retailers that ship personalisation, leisure and ease will obtain each consideration and loyalty in 2026 and past.

Trying forward, retailers will proceed to create memorable experiences for customers. Differentiation will come from giving customers a respite from algorithms and A.I. Shops that practice their employees to develop into consultants, able to delivering guided and curated experiences that forego digital instruments in favour of human connection will win over customers.

In-store, gamification will transcend seasonal activations to develop into a part of on a regular basis purchasing. ‘Play zones’ that encourage experimentation, customisation and interplay in a enjoyable, low-pressure setting will rework purchasing from a chore to an pleasurable expertise. This instantly aligns with Mintel’s 2026 International BPC Prediction Sensorial Synergy, which emphasises the excellence between “shopping for” (a necessity) and “purchasing” (a leisure exercise). When retail feels playful and immersive, it elevates purchasing right into a type of leisure, encouraging longer visits and better engagement.

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