Shoppers Drug Mart, as part of the retailer’s continued expansion into purpose-led brands, is bringing New York-based haircare brand Function of Beauty north.
The made-to-order brand’s offerings include 18 different SKUs designed for multiple hair types. They will be available at 1,000 Shoppers Drug Mart locations, 147 Pharmaprix stores in Quebec and online. The launch is being promoted through a large TikTok campaign, as well as special offers through the PC Optimum loyalty program.
“We are dedicated to curating the best of beauty as a retailer, and to us that means carrying a wide range of products tailored to meet the needs of our customers,” says Kelly Jessop, SVP of merchandising at Shoppers Drug Mart.
As a trusted beauty destination, Jessop says the retailer continues to develop its beauty offerings with purpose, introducing “new, thoughtful beauty lines” and BIPOC-owned brands. Function of Beauty’s shampoo and conditioner bottles are wholly recyclable and manufactured with 100% recycled plastic, and two of Function of Beauty’s three founders are BIPOC.
Function of Beauty’s “putting you in charge” empowerment positioning, is something Shoppers tapped into this spring as well, with its “All About You” YouTube campaign, a Cityline Shoppers Drug Mart team-up with influencer Tracy P.
The retailer also expanded its own beauty offerings this summer with a private label vegan Quo beauty collection, which also had a better for the planet packaging innovation.
Meghan Nameth, SVP of marketing at parent company Loblaw, says it wants its customers to be the first to know about what’s new, usually kicking things off with announcing on its brand social channels and emailing its subscriber base directly to announce a big launch like Function of Beauty, and that is is always exploring new ways to engage with its demo.
It is leaning into TikTok Live braodcasts with Emira D’Spain, a content creator known for Get Ready with Me (GRWM) videos, who made news as the first Black transgender model to work with Victoria’s Secret.
Shoppers is hosting two more live events with special guest appearances tonight and next week.
“Currently we have our Shoppers Beauty+ Event taking place, our biggest beauty event of the year,” Nameth says, adding that this is a time for Shoppers to reward its customers as they shop 2,000 new beauty products and current favourites.
The event messaging highlights exclusives like Kylie and Florence By Mills, as well as Shoppers’ Thoughtful Choices brands, the retailer’s curated personal care program to facilitate shopping consciously.
According to Nameth, the large-scale campaign is an example of how it’s highlighting its new brands, impactful marketing creative, innovative social content and in-store events are all geared to encourage customers to discover the latest beauty arrivals.
Loblaw Agency, Loblaw Media and Dentsu are the associated campaign agencies, LexPR is the supporting PR agency.
