How The Glossary brings beauty to students
The Glossary is a store within a store, within a Barnes & Noble College bookstore to be precise. B&N, one of the largest contractors running college bookshops in the States, has just this week formally announced its beauty concept shop.
Four college campuses currently have The Glossary in their bookstores: Emory University and Southern Methodist University (where the company piloted the concept) as well as Tulane University and the College of William & Mary. In August, B&N has plans to open a fifth shop at the University of California at Riverside.
Teamwork
Both prestige and mass brands are on the shelf at The Glossary. The selection includes Smashbox, Philosophy, Bliss, Lipstick Queen, Burt’s Bees, CoverGirl, and Maybelline. To bring these beauty brands to campus, B&N partnered with the distribution team at EC Scott Group.
“Through in-depth student discussions and focus groups, we recognized a gap in access to beauty solutions on campus and worked with them to help shape The Glossary,” explains Lisa Mazzio, director of merchandise, fashion trends and beauty for Barnes & Noble College, in a company media release about the stores.
“Their feedback informed the categories and brands we sell, the look and layout of the stores themselves, and the format that inspires self-discovery rather than in-aisle beauty consultants, which students expressed were less desired,” Mazzio adds.
Aesthetic appeal
That look and layout was created by retail design firm RPG. What RPG developed is distinct from the bookstore and tailored to meet modern-day cosmetic consumer expectations. “Main drive-aisle spaces and in-store locations position The Glossary for high traffic, while product displays create and encourage in-store experimentation,” according to the media release.
RPG also incorporated warm colors and original art into The Glossary shops, meant to make the space all the more appealing to target consumers.
“We built our reputation as one of the most trusted campus retailers by continuously innovating and creating new merchandising ideas we know our students are looking for,” says Joel Friedman, vice president and chief merchandising officer for Barnes & Noble College. “We are excited to introduce The Glossary to our college partners, making the brands and products students want easily accessible to them for the first time.”
