From Scroll to Store: How Local Media Can Spark Beauty Sales in Your Market

Read Time: 5 minutes

Kelsey, a 38-year-old in Denver, doesn’t need a beauty counter anymore. Her “advisor” lives in her phone: TikTok tutorials for inspiration, a chatbot for shade matches and budget-friendly swaps, and—when it’s time to buy—often Amazon. Department stores, she says, have become scenery: nice to walk through, rarely necessary to shop. AP News+1

That one consumer journey captures a broader reordering in a $129 billion U.S. beauty-and-personal-care market: discovery has migrated from the mall to the feed, and trust has migrated from the associate to the algorithm—or the influencer. Los Angeles Times+1

For local media sellers and local agencies, that’s not just a retail trend story. It’s a blueprint for where “attention” moved, how “intent” gets formed, and what kinds of marketing actually pull people into stores now. The winners won’t be the loudest. They’ll be the most useful at the moment the shopper is deciding.

The new beauty funnel: phones create the spark, stores fight for the sale

Department stores once held the keys to beauty—curation, sampling, advice, and the social permission to “try something new.” That authority started fraying in the late 1990s as Sephora and Ulta turned cosmetics into a self-serve playground. Now, e-commerce and social commerce have tightened the vise.

TikTok and Instagram don’t just showcase products; they manufacture micro-trends (“blurred skin,” “tired girl,” “dupes”) and teach the consumer how to buy them. In that world, a store visit is often a confirmation step—if it happens at all. As one Gen Z-focused agency founder put it, the store has become the showroom, while the spark happens on TikTok. AP News

And the buying gravity is hard to ignore. TikTok Shop has already become the nation’s seventh-largest online seller of beauty and personal care, according to Euromonitor (right behind Target). Los Angeles Times+1

Department stores respond with “experience”—and a little theater

Macy’s and Nordstrom aren’t trying to out-Amazon Amazon. They’re trying to out-feel it.

In New York, both chains have reworked flagship beauty floors to add space, luxury assortments, and technology meant to keep shoppers lingering—beauty bars with bright mirrors, skin-analysis devices, immersive displays, and services designed to be talked about (and filmed). Nordstrom even offers robot-applied eyelash extensions; it has also expanded treatments in some locations to include a medical spa offering Botox and dermal fillers.

Timing matters. Holiday is a make-or-break season in beauty—Circana notes that for prestige fragrance, roughly 25% of sales occur in December.

Meanwhile, even the disruptors are renovating: Sephora is updating stores and leaning into tech-driven guidance—its app’s selfie-based skin scan promises personalized recommendations in seconds.

What local media sellers should take from this: you can sell the “spark,” not just the spot

Local media’s opportunity isn’t to compete with TikTok’s infinite scroll. It’s to package local trust + local creators + local distribution into something retailers can’t reliably buy from a platform dashboard.

Here are the practical angles that translate into revenue—especially with local beauty advertisers (salons, med spas, dermatologists, independent brands, boutiques, department stores, and even pharmacies).

1) Sell “discovery products,” not “ad inventory”

Beauty marketing is increasingly educational entertainment: how-to, try-on, routines, “dupe” comparisons, and quick verdicts. Local media can productize that as recurring franchises:

• “3 Under $30” weekly segment (drugstore + local retailer availability)
• “The Winter Skin Reset” (derm + med spa + retail partners)
• “Fragrance Finder” (gift guides tied to holiday spikes) Circana

The pitch: “We’ll create the spark locally—with faces and places your customers recognize—and then we’ll drive the store visit.”

2) Own the “local creator lane” brands can actually trust

Influencer marketing has moved from glossy to messy—brands worry about safety, fake engagement, and off-brand moments. Local media can offer a cleaner alternative:

• Curated roster of local creators (contracted, trained, guidelines)
• Brand-safe production
• Cross-channel reach (broadcast + digital + newsletter + events)
• Real-world proof (foot traffic, redemptions, appointments booked)

That’s especially attractive to retailers trying to rebuild the role department stores once played: trusted guide, not just shelf space. AP News

3) Turn “experience” into a sponsorship machine

Department stores are building experiences because experiences are shareable. Local media can help them program the calendar:

• Live “beauty bar” remotes
• Makeover nights / fragrance layering workshops
• “Dupe or Designer?” showdown events
• New-product drop parties with QR offers
• Med spa education nights (with compliant messaging)

You’re not selling a 30-second spot. You’re selling a reason to show up—and content that keeps working after the night ends.

4) Make AI less scary: position it as the new beauty counter—powered by your media

Consumers already accept AI guidance (“personal beauty consultant” behavior is here). AP News
Local media can help advertisers deploy lightweight AI without building Silicon Valley:

• On-site quizzes (“Find your routine in 60 seconds”)
• SMS “shade match” consult prompts that route to a human
• Newsletter “smart pick” modules tied to budget tiers
• “Ask the expert” chat hours (real humans, marketed like AI convenience)

Tie it to in-market media: We’ll drive the question; your store closes the sale.

5) Reframe the threat: Amazon owns convenience; you can sell confidence

Amazon can deliver fast. But beauty is emotional—people want to feel sure, not just quick. The local pitch is:

• Confidence comes from seeing it on people like me
• Confidence comes from local experts
• Confidence comes from trying it today
• Confidence comes from easy returns and real service

That is exactly why stores are adding experiences and services, from immersive displays to treatments. AP News

A simple package you can take to market this week

“The Spark-to-Store Beauty Bundle” (4–6 weeks)

1. Short-form video series (3–5 creator clips/week)
2. One tentpole segment (broadcast/CTV/audio + site feature)
3. Newsletter gift-guide module (fragrance + skincare + “under $25” options) Circana
4. In-store event or appointment push (QR offer + RSVP)
5. Measurement: coupon/redemption, vanity URL, appointment tracking, foot-traffic proxy (where available)

Sell it as a modernization plan: “We’ll help you compete where the spark happens and give people a reason to come in.”

Because the real shift isn’t that stores don’t matter. It’s that the store is no longer the beginning of the story. It’s the payoff.

Source: https://fortune.com/2025/12/22/tiktok-puts-department-stores-in-your-phone-macys-and-nordstrom-say-not-so-fast/