Latest / Skin Anarchy / E.414: Beauty Is Returning To Retail In A Boutique Format ft. bluemercury

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E.414: Beauty Is Returning To Retail In A Boutique Format ft. bluemercury · Skin Anarchy

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• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: Hey guys! So before the episode, I really had to come in here and talk about two brands that I am literally obsessed with, and especially because this is our first ever retail episode, so I just I have to rave.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_03: Also, before I tell you about them, I just want to remind you guys, Eugen Volume 1 is on Apple Books, and I am telling you, it is the most gorgeous, like magazine, hybrid medical journal, fact-based editorials, gorgeous photography.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_03: All of the brands featured in there are tried and true.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_03: Everything is linked to the episodes that we have done with those brand founders, and also just a direct link to their websites to shop.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: And no, we don't make any commissions off of any of that.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: It is a fully open access, amazing resource for those of you who are looking for beauty advice and looking for a place to go to shop the best brands in this industry.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_03: Anyways, with that said, I want to remind you that there are two brands that I have been raving about for a while now.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: The first one is the skincare line, which I think is literally one of the most amazing indie lines I've ever discovered.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_03: They are what I call the indie elite, and the reason I say that is because they are no less than the luxury and amazing luxury prestige products we're used to, and that is Simpure S-I-M-P-U-R-E.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: If you want to check them out, you can go to shopsimpure all one word.com.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: I love everything about them.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_03: Their story is amazing.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: Their founder is a cancer survivor.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: Annabelle, huge shout out.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: She is phenomenal.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: This woman has been through hell and back, and everything that Simpure has created is a solution and it's a real, um, you know, science-backed approach to everything.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_03: So definitely check them out.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: And the next brand is a fragrance brand.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, Fragrance Fridays has finally taken off.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_03: And because we are interviewing Blue Mercury, and Blue Mercury is just known for carrying some amazing fragrance brands.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_03: So I had to shout out my um new favorite Emotiv, so E-M-M-O-T-I-V.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: I am obsessed with them.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: All of their fragrances are named after feelings like cozy and you know calm, and it's it really reminds you of those feelings.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, the quality is just superb, but also just what it evokes from you as you're you know utilizing the perfumes and how you're um you know expressing yourself through using them throughout their day.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_03: I mean it's it's phenomenal.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: So definitely check them out.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_03: I again the brand is called Emotif, so E-M-M-O-T-I-V.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: I've also interviewed their founder.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: So check out that interview if you uh get a chance.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, guys, enjoy this episode coming up with Tracy Klein of Blue Mercury.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: This is our first retail episode, and I'm very excited for you to check it out and also get some amazing advice that Tracy offers for all of you entrepreneurs out there.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_03: Alright, love you, and thank you so much again for all of your support and your love.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: And again, don't forget to check out Eugene on Apple Books exclusively.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_03: Type in Eugen Capital Y magazine capital N, and it'll pop right up.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_03: Also, it the link is in our bio.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: All right, thanks.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_03: Hi guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_03: I am really, really excited to introduce you to our guest today.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_03: This is a wonderful brand and it's uh place I've been shopping for so many years now.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it's very cool for me to be bringing this interview to you.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the head of merchandising for Blue Mercury, Tracy Klein.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the show, Tracy.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so honored to host you.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much for having me.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_04: I'm so excited about this conversation.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's wonderful to host you, and I'm really excited to you know just talk about the brand.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_03: I love Blue Mercury so much.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I just, you know, I remember, you know, before the podcast, you know, for so many years, I've always been like, every time I see one, I have to go inside, you know.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: So I can start.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_03: But I would love, I would love to learn about you first and your background, and then um we'll, you know, dive into all my questions about the brand.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, of course.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_04: So thank you for having me.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_04: I'm so excited to be here.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so I have been with Blue Mercury for about seven years, but before that, I'd been in retail for 23 years.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_04: So destined, destined for retail.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_04: Um, started my career at Estee Lauder.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_04: Um, that then brought me to, I was with Gucci Group for a number of years.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and then previous to Blue Mercury, I was in the very interesting world of travel retail, um, duty-free, duty paid across national airports and international airports.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_04: I was there for about 10 years, but I've been with Blue Mercury um about seven.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_04: So I started right after um Macy's um purchase Blue Mercury, which was a really exciting slash hectic time.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_04: But it's it's crazy to think when I started here, I mean, we didn't even have a merchandising team really.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it was Marla, who was our founder, um, and just a very skeletal um team.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_04: But, you know, Macy's had purchased us and um, you know, we were we were on our way for for big growth as as we continue to be.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, I mean, I think that that's very interesting.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, that Blue Mercury has kind of, in my opinion, you guys have stayed very consistent, you know, and I really like that about the about the retail because uh aspect of it, because for me, it's too much when I walk into like these really, really big stores that are overcrowded with products.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I for me, it's it's always been nice, you know, it's a nice experience going into any blue mercury store.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: So um, I would love to like learn about you know just the whole brand's like philosophy, really, when it comes to retail, because I think that's one thing on skincare anarchy we've not really spoken about is this, you know, this idea of like what is retail, you know, and what does it mean for brands and all this?
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I would love to get your you know, your percentage of it.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_04: It's a great question.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it's a question that, you know, just in the seven years I've been here, I mean, the beauty industry has changed so much, right?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_04: Like you could seven years ago be like, oh, okay, these are the core makeup brands and these are the core skincare brands, and now it's you know, there's brands popping up every day, which is, you know, is amazing, but can also be, I think, very intimidating and confusing for not just clients for people in general, for clients, but it's also for the merchants.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_04: It's also, you know, you want to ensure that you um you kind of stay grounded in who you are and your and your point of view.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_04: And I think I think we've done a really great job of that here at Bloomer Care.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, we were founded, you know, to to in this, you know, 1999.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_04: So when really the only place to buy cosmetics was in department stores, right?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_04: And founded on kind of the grounds of wanting more personalization, wanting a low pressure environment, and wanting to provide, you know, that education to the client.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_04: And I actually think it's it's funny because 24 years later, it's even more important now, kind of where we started that we and we're we're really challenging ourselves to how do we, you know, up our game even more with personalization.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_04: Personalization is so important because, you know, and I think a lot of people learn this during COVID, is like you want to be who you are.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_04: You want to be, you want the skincare regimen that works for you.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I don't want what works for Susie or Bobby, like you want it um what works for your concerns, and you want people to be able to ask, you know, concerning questions.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_04: If you have acne, if you have hair loss, if you have, you know, let's make those conversations real um because they're they're things that people struggle with.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_04: And so, you know, we were, like I said, we're founded on this, you know, low pressure, personalization, high education, and and that's really where we are focusing our efforts on growing those pillars even more.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and the curation.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: So, you know, the like then we all know the beauty industry has gotten really crowded, and part of that is awesome.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_04: I love that these brands that are, you know, founded from you know, people not finding something, you know, for concern that they have.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but it also makes it intimidating and confusing.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_04: So I think the curation piece, which is um something that's always been um, you know, true for us and and something that we're continuing to focus is to unwind um the confusion of having uh hundreds of products at your disposal so that it's it's easy to navigate.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, I mean I I completely resonate with everything that you said here because, you know, and and you know, truly speaking, Blue Mercury has always been that retail store for me, you know, where it's like, like I said, it's not too crowded.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: So this is like it's so optimized already for this kind of you know uh environment of education, you know, in the sense of like you can go in and even if you know what suits you, you know, even if you know, okay, I've got a moisturizer that works, I've got a serum that works, but I need like a great cleanser or I need like a really great toner, you know, and that's that's where I really, really love um the whole brand, you know, because I think that my experiences as a consumer, I hate walking into a retail store where someone is like just shoving products, you know, in your mind.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: Like, hey, take this.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: You don't like that?
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_04: You don't like products that are just being shoved up your nose?
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, no.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's just irritating, you know, and it's like especially like you said, you know, in this world of customization that we're entering now, especially with things like the metaverse and people are wanting to have this more um knowledge around what they're buying, why they're buying it, you know, and why does it help their skin?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah, it's a it's a huge area that's been untapped for so long.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm very I'm very curious.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, sorry to interrupt you on cocktailing, right?
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_04: Like I feel like you don't have to have all of your products from brand A.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_04: It's you know, the serum might work best here.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I like everybody cocktails now, right?
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_04: You have a serum from here, you have a cleanser from here, and um, and I think that's what makes it more personal.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and that's honestly, you know, what another thing is that's what makes people stick to a routine is if you give them options, but you don't give them too many options to where they're like overwhelmed and they start thinking everything's the same.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_03: Because that's another thing I've seen is that people are confusing that now with like, you know, for example, there's so many dupes out there, which I know you've seen, you know, everyone's seen that, but it's like so hard to make consumers understand.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_03: I think that it's like, no, you have to go every step of your journey of finding products, whether it's beauty products, skincare product, whatever it is for you, fragrance, you need to understand like what is good for you, you know, and you need to be in an environment that's conducive to that.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I would love to learn about some of the changes that you mentioned, Tracy.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that blue mercury is going to be kind of rolling out, you know, in the coming months.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_04: No, but let's so, you know, I think you know, we're working on so many things.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we're we're looking at our ourselves, our branding, and our presence.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, we are um we're looking at enhanced curation.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_04: So something that has always been, as I mentioned, true to us is is this curation piece.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_04: But I think as, you know, our space is generally fairly small.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that also makes it special, right?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_04: That we usually live store-wise in a box that's, you know, I don't know, 1500, 1800 square feet.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_04: So how do you continue to to carry these great brands and tell these stories in a space um that size?
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_04: And and part of that is the curation process.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_04: So it's it's working with our brands, but being a brand partner.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, one thing that I would say that is always I reiterate with the team over and over and over again is this is a collaboration with brands.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_04: This is not us dictating um, you know, all the rules of the game, and that's how it's gonna be for you to, you know, join our portfolio.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_04: That's absolutely not how we work here.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_04: So it's partnering with the brands, it's curating, it's understanding, you know, what are the best products, but it also has to make sense within a family, right?
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_04: Um the education piece, you know, as I meant, we hired a new head of education actually, or or a head of education last year that we're real really building um that team and focusing on that team and challenging ourselves.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, what does that mean from like a certification standpoint and you know, that being within all different categories and kind of, you know, beauty as a lifestyle in general.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, we're looking aesthetically at how we're evolving the consumer experience.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and you know, there's there's only kind of like so much I can share on that piece at this point, but there are um, you know, some I think great big changes that the client's going to see that really um nods to this, what we're calling is we're going, you know, more in this luxury direction, which luxury not being about, it's not about a price point, right?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_04: It's about an experience and luxury being about all those pieces I just talked about together.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_04: So it's the curation, it's the education, it's the, you know, where our stores are, um, it's the loyalty.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_04: And and that's really as as many retailers are going, to be honest, the other direction, we're focusing more on what we're defining as that luxury elevated experience, which encapsulates all the things I just mentioned.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, I think that and there's a huge need for that too, right now, because you know, I wrote like a little piece for our Medium blog, you know, about how a lot of indie brands are now becoming this new um, we used to call them indie brands, but in reality, they're luxury brands because they're very well formulated and they're very, there's a lot of thought behind them, there's a lot of science behind them, you know, and and that piece, you know, the science piece in my mind as a consumer is so important these days that it for me, if you get the science right, that means you are a luxury brand because it even though it's not about price points, it's about the innovation, you know, that really makes your product, right?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like it's very, very interesting to see how this is an evolution of like, you know, like you said, true curation, where we're now coming down to the you know, nitty-gritty of it in the sense of what works and what doesn't, and what are people gonna resonate with versus just hype, you know, and that's where I I really love that.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: I love that you guys are doing that and you're kind of paving the path because this is so needed, you know, at this point.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, beauty's a replenishment business, right?
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_04: Like you're gonna, your point, like you know, you're going you capture the client it, you know, through whatever means, but it has to work, right?
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_04: It has to work for to you know, to have that loyalty and to retain the client.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, beauty, as we think about it here at Blue Mercury, I mean, beauty is a lifestyle, right?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_04: It's not about um, I think the, you know, I don't think, you know, it's just changed so much from what it was just even like, you know, five, 10 years ago.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_04: This is about all aspects of your life that, you know, fragrance and how that evokes you, your skin care, your makeup, your makeup not being about covering yourself up, but just having fun and being playful.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, home fragrance, all those pieces that it's really, you know, intimate feminine care.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, have the conversation.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_04: Guess what?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_04: Everybody's not perfect.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_04: You have children and you get mastitis, and you're like, um, can I mean when I had my kids, I remember being like, does anyone else have these issues?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_04: It's awesome that people are talking about this now.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_04: We need to get, you know, go further.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_04: But um, I just think it's so cool how the industry has evolved.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_04: It, you know, it just needs a little bit of a you gotta rein it in for the client because it's it's intimidating.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_03: No, and I and I love that you brought the feminine care and women's health uh aspect up because there's a lot of brands that are emerging in that category that are really revolutionizing the way we've thought about this category and to then put them, you know, combine that with that luxury piece that you had mentioned.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_03: And then, you know, it really makes a very enticing environment for any consumer who is very um pro-educ, pro-knowledge, you know, with their with their buying habits, you know, and purchasing habits.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I I really like that because I'm not gonna lie, you know, I know there's a lot of retail stores out there that are just about, well, let's just stock the products, you know what I mean?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: And we have all sorts of people that will come and buy, and you know, some people like this, some people like that.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: But at one point, you have to kind of draw a line and think, is it really about, you know, the consumers, or are we just now focused on making money?
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean, as a retail brand.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_03: So I really, you know, yeah.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_04: That's a great point.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_04: Cause I think that's you know, that's something with I think any retailer struggles with is like you can't be everything to everyone, right?
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_04: So like you're you're either gonna, and if you try, you're gonna cause mass confusion.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_04: And so, you know, it's of course it's the the headline is everyone is welcome, inclusivity, but you're you just can't, you can't have everything for everyone, it just isn't possible.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_04: So it's having a point of view, right?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_04: And um and having you know a digestible point of view, and I think that's where it has to start.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that for brands it's similar because the beauty market is crowded.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_04: So anytime you know, we talk to you know, emerging brand, it is it's why are you additive to what's out there, right?
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_04: And like start with that.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_04: What is the hook product?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_04: Why are you additive?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um, because that's what's going to that's what's gonna drive that runway for the brand.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, I'm so glad you brought up the the brand component because that was one of my biggest questions for you was this idea of, you know, um, what do we need to educate brands about, you know, in terms of just generally understanding when it comes to this journey of getting into retail, you know, because there's a lot of brands out there, like I said, and you know, I get these questions, but I'm like the last person you guys should ask.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know, I don't even have a brand, you know, that's in retail.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, I do, I get these questions from founders because they're very, you know, they're very, very um specific.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know, even founders, from what I'm noticing, are becoming more specific of who they want to represent them, right?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: So retail is a component that represents your brand.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_03: And if you go with the wrong retailer, it could really impact the image of your overall vision, you know?
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_03: So that's very important to I think also highlight.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I would love to get your take on that, is just advice for brands as they're approaching this idea of retail.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, what are things that they should be doing, like homework that they should be doing beforehand, before they come to any retailer?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it's similar, I guess.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_04: It's like don't try and do too much at the well, like you know, you have brands that are like, we have three products, but we're gonna expand our assortment to 25, but nope, yep, slow down.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_04: You know, before you dive into that, it's before all of that, it's it's why is this brand additive to what's out there?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_04: Like what's what is the what's the basis, right?
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_04: And the education piece behind it, like as you're looking into new innovation.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_04: It can get really like scientific, and you've lost everybody, right?
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_04: So, like with that, it also needs to be the education has to be digestible because you also have to remember like this is beauty.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_04: So we need to make it fun, we need to make it digestible, you need to ensure we need to ensure our beauty experts kind of like leave with like the top headlines of why this brand is important, why it's interesting, why we added it to um, you know, our our brand portfolio.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_04: I think people forget about supply chain too.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_04: I oversee supply chain and logistics as well, which, you know, is the like, you know, your non-GLAM side, but it's so important because it's, you know, it's it's like you have this one shot, right?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_04: Like when you start, you need to start off with the right testers and the right, you know, forecast that you've aligned with the retailer on and your education and the support team.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_04: And the supply chain piece is a piece that I think it tends to get put on the back burner and it just it needs to, it needs to be right up there as a priority one because it's um it's a tough thing to come back from.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: No, I mean, I would love to hear more about the supply chain though.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what is it that because I know that I I've heard a little bit from brands like founders themselves talking about how, you know, um, for example, if they wanted to enter a certain retailer, it just wasn't feasible for them because they didn't have nearly the financial capacity to produce so many units of a product, you know.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like they really they were talking from that standpoint.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I would love to like get your idea of like how if a brand does enter blue mercury, like how many, like how much pre-planning do you need is my question.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_04: That's really where well I think that's where the the partnerships come in, right?
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_04: And so I think you know, you don't want to be too eager in the sense of very, very, very rarely we launch a brand in like every store.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_04: It's just a it's a bad idea.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_04: We will launch a brand in a you know limited number of stores where we've used like client data, we ensure it's the right move, we ensure that the brand has the inventory.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_04: If it's a makeup brand, they have the units to support, you know, the launch, to support like sampling needs or tester needs, and and and then you and then you scale, right?
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_04: Once you have an understanding of um sales potential, once you've kind of worked and kind of like finessed all the angles, and then you scale.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_04: What you what you don't want to do is bite off more than you can chew, right?
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_04: And and and commit to great, like we're gonna go on 50 door, and where you know that maybe when you look at that supply chain cycle, and it's just not gonna be feasible if you've calculated again with your partner, like Turn and Sell Through and Hero and what your education team is focusing on.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_04: It's just, you know, it's kind of like the non-GLAM side, but it it it's a necessary side of success.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_04: And and you don't do that, well, at least with uh Blue Mercury, I mean, we do that in partnership with a brand, you know.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I don't know exactly how every other retailer works, but that's how that's how we work.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_04: We want it to be a win-win.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, it just you've got to look at all facets.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_04: You could have the best product, new product that's anyone's ever seen.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_04: If you don't forecast it correctly and kind of understand the path, yeah, it's difficult to come back from.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_03: No, absolutely.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_03: That makes total sense.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I think the, you know, really for me, uh, the take a home, you know, takeaway message from that is just you you have to really find people who are like-minded, you know, and I think when you go down this road of curation and you go down this path of just being a more tightly, you know, selected uh, you know, set of products or brands or whatever you want to call it, it makes it easy for everybody involved, not just the consumers, but it makes it easier for even, you know, brand founders who are out there that are doing great things to find their right fit.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's a lot of people who say, you know, if I just land in, you know, XYZ retailer, I'm gonna make it big.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, I always cringe when I hear that because it's like, no, that doesn't mean anything.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_03: It, you know, it has nothing to do with because you have to educate, you have to put in the time to not only educate your consumers, but also the people who are, you know, part of that retail chain, and they they can help your consumers understand why your products are good.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_03: So there's a lot of time that goes into that.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't, I oftentimes what wish that founders would have waited a little bit, you know, before committing to any retailer and done a little bit more homework from what just as you know, so it's it's an interesting area for sure, is my point.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_04: And just focus on, I always laugh.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_04: And my team is like, I wasn't even born in 1985.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_04: I'm like, it's not 1985.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_04: This isn't about sell-in, it's about sell through.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_04: It's about, you know, of course, it's and that's the same with you know, any brand is like, yes, there's that, like, you know, they focus on the buy and the receipts, but it's the end sell through, or you're gonna end up with also just an inventory mistake, right?
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_04: But I say 1985 and everyone's like, what are you talking about?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_04: I wasn't even born.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_04: I'm like, cool, yeah, I'm old.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_04: Well, no, I am too then.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_04: You know, no, we're not.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_04: We're totally up.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: We're not old, we're just you know, mature.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_03: We're yeah, we're mature, exactly.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: We're curated.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_03: No, but I mean, honestly, I think that it's really interesting.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_03: I I I find it to be interesting in the sense of like, you know, the experience as well.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_03: So I would love to like hear your thoughts on like, you know, what are or you know, really what blue mercury is doing for the consumer experience?
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I know you had mentioned curation, but I would love to hear about, you know, in terms of when you go into a blue mercury store, you know, as a consumer, can like how confident can you be that, you know, going up to the sales rep, how educated they will be?
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what are some, you know, just information you can share with us about what you guys do on your end to make sure your your employees are really well versed?
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_04: You know, I mean, not only do we have our own, you know, education platform, um, and kind of our for lack of a better word, like captains, um, that like ladder down overall, I mean, they have to overall like strategy and overall education um on, I think you start with two, the, the, the industry and the category.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_04: And then we just we really collaborate really closely with the brands on having the moments where they can train and educate our field teams um in a really focused way with um, you know, great takeaways that then translate to the client.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_04: We also have a lot of brands that bring that have you know in-store support that you know, where it makes sense, and of course it has to make sense from a return, you know, standpoint for them, that they have support that comes in stores that trains our team also while being available to help the client.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, or even, you know, in many cases, we do like a lot of events when we have store support there.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_04: So there's like, you know, there's a number of different ways that we ensure that when you walk in our door, that you have nothing less than a highly educated beauty advisor that's super passionate about um the industry, but passionate about finding what's right for you and not making a sale, but making a connection.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: No, that makes sense.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I've actually But we can continue to do better too.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, then that's where, sorry to interrupt you, but that's where we're like, how can we keep how can we perfect this?
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_04: We that's what we want to be the shining star of Blue Mercury, is you know, the education piece.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_04: You can come in there, you don't feel A, you don't feel intimidated to ask for anything, you know, you have hair loss, you have acne.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, these are like people have it, everybody has something.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_04: And um, B that you just you know, you know that it's it's authentic, I think is really the right word.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's also tied into, you know, and that's just my opinion.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's truly tied into inclusivity, if we're being honest, you know, because people love throwing these words around and love saying, you know, we want uh, you know, accessibility and inclusivity, but it's like, you know, what does that mean?
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_03: And that for me, when I look at retail, if I think a retailer is truly inclusive, what for me what that means is you can actually address the needs of a customer.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_03: And it has nothing to do with who the founder was, who the, you know what I mean, like who the employees are.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_03: It's about what is the brand, you know what I mean?
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_03: Like what are they doing?
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_03: And is it something I can really count on, you know?
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: And so there is this like connection that forms there.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_03: Because if I go into Blue Mercury store and like you mentioned, I'm suffering from say really bad cystic acne, right?
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I go in there and I find, I talk to, you know, the sales person and we find this amazing, you know, cream or whatever it is, right?
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_03: And I go home with it and I see results.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_03: That is what forms the connection to that retailer for me because I went somewhere and I counted on them to guide me right, and they did.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_03: And now I'm seeing results in my life, you know, and that's that is so important that I I just don't, you know, you I'm just so glad that you guys are doing that because no one is.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I've got I can't tell you there have been countless times that I've gone into retailers, non-blue blue mercury retailers, mind you.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_03: How dare you?
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_03: No, can't you know right?
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_03: What was I thinking?
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I did I've gone in there and they've just given me the most terrible suggestions, you know, and it's like this has absolutely no impact on my life.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_03: I'm probably never gonna come back for advice ever again, you know.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like a make it or break it thing for many of us on the consumer side.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_03: So I think that's that's really, really important for sure.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, one thing I want to ask you is um advice when it comes to um yeah on your end, like your your specialty, your field, right, with merchandising, you know, what some advice you can give to people who are like owners of these small boutiques, you know, that are very, very small, like they're online stores, because I see a lot of them are popping up, you know, popping up these days too, like online retailers that are just, you know, they're saying, you know, hey, we have this little small collection of products that we really like, but you know, I don't really see a lot of people gravitating towards them.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_03: I, you know, I think it's like kind of like there's some sort of disconnect there.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_03: So any advice you can share with those kind of founders.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think with you're talking about like multi-brand, like e-retailers, yeah.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_04: Like they're like, yeah, exactly.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_04: I you know, I think as much as you can make it interactive online so that, and I'm not gonna go like the route of necessarily like quizzes, but like consultations, like where is the because it it needs beauty needs to be navigated, right?
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_04: So, like, where is the navigation um that's kind of leaving leading to the result?
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_04: Or like, you know, what is that clientelling feature that you are exploiting online?
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_04: Because it does, you know, unless someone knows the brand, knows what they're looking for and it's kind of automatic, like, you know, that education platform, that clienteling platform, um, whether it's chat or something, I mean, it has to be available because there's just too many questions that go with it.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_04: But I, you know, I do, I think it's I get it.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_04: I get why a lot of these like e-retailers that are like these amazing fashion y retailers that I shop at that like, you know, beauty and fashion are similar, right?
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_04: Right now.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_04: And um, or you know, they are.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um, beauty just, you know, it just comes with a number of questions.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_04: And I think even harder makeup and fragrance is even harder online, right?
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_04: Because it's like the color matching, the actual kind of touch and feel and fragrance, unless you're like, I know that I only like woody scents that smell like a fireplace.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_04: Like it's it's just hard, right?
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_04: Um, yeah.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_04: So those pieces are more of a punishment, but I would say as much as they can do to enhance that clientele, have more of some sort of, you know, personalization feature.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's hard though.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's it is, and that that's that's where I get kind of you know a little uh uh weary when it comes to online kind of shopping these small boutiques because I'm like, you know, well, how do I know I'm gonna like it?
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you've got one product by one brand.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like, how do I know I'm gonna enjoy that product?
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_03: I don't, and that's where I really am such a firm believer in um the way that, for example, like blue mercury, I can go into the store, I can experience the products.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_03: That experience is so important for a consumer because, like you said, you know, fragrance, especially, because fragrance is it is an experience, you know, and you have to feel the whole thing and then decide what's good for you.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_03: And it's so personal too.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's yeah, yeah.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_04: You couldn't, I mean, I would have a hard time giving someone fragrance as like a gift because you're like, I have no idea.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't know what resonates.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: You don't know how it's gonna wear on you.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, that's there it goes, exactly.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_04: We've like had that conversation internally too, that like it's you know, like you have like you know, the the spray like sticks that you use in it, but it's it can smell one way on that, but then on your skin, certain fragrances they just smell completely different.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_04: So, like what happened?
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_04: How do we get to like old school of trying it all on our skin?
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, absolutely.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_03: And you know what's what's interesting, I want to share this.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like, it's my own personal story, but I love it because it really for me illustrates how uh why I love blue mercury as a retailer um in the fragrance category.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: Like I, for example, I love Joel Malone fragrances, yeah, hands down, right?
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_03: We all do, I think.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_04: What do you what do you love?
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_04: Which one?
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_03: So mine is the nectarine blossom is my main one.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_03: And then so, and that's where my story happened because I had gone into a blue mercury, it was in Virginia, and I remember I walking in and I was like, you know what?
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_03: I wear this perfume all the time, and I want something that's going to go really well with it.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I remember walking up to the sales rep at the time and just being like, This is what's going on, you know.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I showed her like this is what I wear.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what to pair it with, and she was amazing because the whole experience was not so much of like talking at me, it was more of like, come with me, let's have this experience.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_03: Let's play.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_03: And it it's like you had like a little, like the experience was like walking in and having like a best friend that you can talk about beauty with, you know?
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_03: And that was so cool.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_03: And I spent like an hour just playing around and finding the different, you know, scents that I could layer with the one I love so much.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_03: And the whole experience left me with this feeling of I'm gonna come back here, you know, anytime I want to like up my fragrance game, anytime I want to, you know, really add to my collection, this is where I'm gonna go because it wasn't just about the product, it wasn't about the brand, it was about everything.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_03: And so that whole environment, you know, and it was just it was great.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_03: And so I've I I think that that is like more important to me than anything I hear these days, you know, in terms of like everything's going digital, everything's metaverse, everything's no, we can't do that, man.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I think it also lends to where our stores are located.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_04: I think, you know, one of the things, talk about what like one of the things that was done right when when this when Blue Mercury was launched was we're in these, you know, these areas.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_04: They're where people shop.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_04: Like we're not, you know, we're not in malls, we are street side, we are near where you're grabbing a coffee or you're doing your errands.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that has become increasingly, especially, you know, even more so in the last few years, that's where people, you know, you build that relationship.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_04: You build the relationship with the community and the neighborhood.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_04: And I love that story because I also love when I do um travel and go to stores, you do there's so many people that are like, oh, hey, Kate, like you know, like they just have these relationships and there's a trust and an authenticity that's like this brand agnostic, yeah, you know, piece that's right for you know, the client.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_03: And also, like, you know, it introduces you to a lot of really like-minded um other stores in the area.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like, for example, the Virginia store I mentioned, I remember like after I d I was done shopping at Blue Mercury, there was a Lulu Moon like right across the the road, you know.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_03: So I could like go there and it was very much in sync with what I was shopping for that day, you know.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_03: So like the placement aspect, I love that you brought that up because that is so, so, so crucial, I think that um a lot of people kind of miss miss the mark on that, you know, or a lot of retail chains because I'm I don't want to walk into a plaza and only see that store, you know.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_03: I want to actually be able to go and like shop, you know, after I'm done there, I want to go and have other stores that are kind of representing that same vibe, you know, of just curated luxury like we were talking about earlier.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's something that I resonate with as a consumer.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_03: I want to go shopping these other stores.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_03: So it's really about this kind of like a community, right?
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_04: It becomes a community of you're already there, you're grabbing your coffee that and I mean I laugh, and this is just me because like mainly because I'm always so busy.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_04: But my kids even are like, Mom, have you ever been to the mall?
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm like, I'm from New Jersey, I like invented them all.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_04: I'm like, yes, but like they've never where people shop now are like not, you know, and and of course many, many people shop at the mall.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_04: So, but like it's you know, there's just this sense of this like neighborhood community piece where um, you know, it's just kind of a a different vibe.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_03: So it is, it definitely is, and you know, I I really I think it's it's really part of self-care as well, because for me, shopping is self-care.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: I think it is for a lot of us.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, when you're going to like a store, you want to, you know, you end up doing other things.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_03: So I think the location aspect is so cool that you brought, you know, that you really highlighted that.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I've always had a good experience.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: You know, every time I find a blue mercury store, it's like like finding a little treasure chest.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, oh my gosh, let me go in that plaza real quick and I'll find like 15 other stores I like, you know.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_03: So it's it's it's cool.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, what is I I'm actually just curious, like, what is the vetting process like for you guys when it comes to like finding places that you want to open up shop, you know?
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, we have like a whole process that you know encapsulates.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, part of it is, you know, ensuring that you have the awareness around like a particular area, it's understanding kind of the neighborhood, it's understanding the adjacent businesses.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_04: We're also, you know, even particular about like within a plaza, like exactly where the store will fit in.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_04: So, I mean, there's we have a long list of you know criteria that we work that it's not my team, but the the teams work through um to kind of understand if it's you know if it's the right home for a blue mercury location.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_04: And and you know, we even, you know, when I think probably like 2018 or so was when we first even went to the West Coast.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_04: So I mean we were born in Washington, DC.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_04: So we're we're definitely have more awareness in the Northeast.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but you know, since I mean we have since then, of course, you know, LA, San Francisco, we're gaining presence in Texas and Florida.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_04: So um, yeah, we still have um we're still there's still a lot of opportunity out there, let's just say.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_03: No, I think I think the you know, I'm a huge fan, and I think whatever you guys do is always gonna be great.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_03: You know, in my book.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_04: What's your home store?
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_04: Is it the Virginia store?
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: No, actually, I'm I'm there is no home store for me.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_04: No, you're just you go everywhere.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I just I'm always yeah, I'm kind of like you.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_03: I travel a lot, I've got a lot of things going on.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, but whenever I get a chance, you know, if I know that there's one or you know near me or something, I'll always Google and look.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: And if there is, I definitely go, you know, and it's because I enjoy the experience.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't matter where I am, you know, it's like I know that this retail store is going to be something I'm gonna enjoy.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm probably gonna discover brands I love, you know what I mean?
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_03: And that's something I've already established, that trust, that relationship as me personally as a consumer, I've already established that with this, you know, this specific retailer.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_03: So for me, it that you know it goes with me everywhere I go.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_03: So I love I love that we, you know, kind of talked about that.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_03: And and for everyone listening out there, I think these are things you really should consider because you know, there's been a lot of news recently about retailers and you know what it takes for brands to get in, brands get dropped, you know, these kind of things and all these, all this hype.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: And it's kind of put retail in the spotlight, I feel like.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_03: So, Tracy, I would love to learn.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: About any like you know big initiatives or something big coming um you know from blue mercury when it comes to just skincare, you know, if you could give us some insights.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah I mean, um, you know, skincare is we are an authority in skincare, and um and you know, we love that.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_04: We love you know, clients come to us for every category, but skincare is really where I think in the industry we have cemented authority.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, with this, we we actually developed a platform we call the Cash, um, that we launched in October of 22.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_04: And the Cash is really about having this platform um for like new cult brands that are just like disruptors within um the category.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it really kind of goes back to what we were saying is that like there's a new brand that launches like every day that it becomes you know confusing.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_04: And so our kind of answer to this within this platform, the cash, is is we've vetted these brands and we've done the work, you know, for you and really have picked kind of the best of the best.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um, it's kind of when we we like joke, it's like when you know, you know, like these just amazing cult brands that are additive to um what's out there.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_04: They have, you know, amazing founder stories, amazing ingredient stories.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_04: We have kind of like a whole list of criteria that also includes like understanding their distribution category, because many of them are are very, very limited.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_04: All of them are will be very limited distribution, so that you can't really, you know, find them everywhere.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_04: And like how we compare it to like a like an amazing wine seller, right?
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_04: That you're showing like your best friend.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_04: This is we want to be this for our clients, where we are, you know, launching these amazing brands that they just they need to know about them.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so we launched in October.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um we will be, and so the goal is every like four months or so, we'll change the featured brands within the platform.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we'll still continue to partner with the brands that kind of like come off like that feature unit.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and you know, they will still continue to be part of the platform.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so when we launch in October um brands, uh amazing brands, ourself, um, UBea, ireni, forte, uh, plant coast, um, Zip Beauty.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_04: I think I captured all of them.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_04: And then we'll be launching kind of our volume two, which is exciting in February.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_04: So you'll have to kind of wait to see.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_04: But it's, you know, we just it's yeah, we're excited.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_04: It's just really cool.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_04: It gives, you know, this platform to amplify these brands and it um, you know, we're doing the work for the client so they know what the best of the best is that is kind of newly introduced to the to the market.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_03: I I can't wait to see, you know, who's gonna be in round two because that's that's really um some awesome brands that you mentioned.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_03: Like that is really like the kind of skincare and the products that you should be going for, like as a you know, in general.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like I always promote those brands too.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_03: So that's really cool.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, good.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_04: They complement each other.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_04: So it's yeah, it's fun.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_04: We like the comparison to like your kind of like your secret wine cabinet, you know, that's like, you know, when you it's like your secret stash.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_04: So um it's fun.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_04: And and you know, we'll we'll probably continue to include like other, we'll expand to other categories, but right now it's um it's around skincare and body care.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, that is so needed.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_03: That's I can't stress that enough how needed that is because we need it ourselves.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_03: It helps us.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, because you know what?
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's a crazy world out there with you know, so you know, we talked about it, like you said, but skincare, especially, brands are just popping up out of the woodworks like every day.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, no, you do need to know what goes hand in hand, you know.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_03: So that's a very good point that you made about this idea of, you know, like you really need to find like-minded kind of brands in a way, you know, and and also like that luxury component is there, that you know, that feel is there, that it everything blends together in this beautiful, you know, this is you can make a routine from that very easily.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_03: So that's cool.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_03: That's really cool.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_04: Good, great.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we're excited.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_04: Excited, excited for volume two, which uh launches launches soon.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_04: Thankful, thank you for having me.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_04: I'm honored.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_03: No, I'm honored to have gotten to you know chat with you.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_03: And for everyone listening, I would love to hear from you guys um what your favorite you know aspect of Blue Mercury is and um where you guys shop and what your experience has been, but just you know, send you your feedback, whatever you know you can tell us.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I will be back next time.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_03: But thank you so much, Tracy.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_03: This is one perfect.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks everyone.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_03: Okay guys, so I hope you love that episode.
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• 50:28
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