Birchbox Does Retail

The focus is on personalization through technology and content at Birchbox’s first brick-and-mortar store at 433 West Broadway in Manhattan’s Soho district. According to the retailer, the store “leverages the insights and feedback gathered since the company’s launch in 2010 from its more than 800,000 active subscribers, to create a customer-first, holistic offline shopping experience.”

The Birchbox store experience includes a curated product assortment featuring 2,000 items from 250 brands. A vertical merchandising strategy allows consumers to shop by category instead of by brand, so, for example, a shopper can come in looking for a red lipstick and compare different types.

In addition, group classes will be offered on a variety of topics. Classes are designed to appeal to all types of beauty consumers and will allow them to sample, try and learn about the products. Classes are free for Birchbox subscribers and cost $30 for non-subscribers.