Urban Outfitters enters men's makeup category in partnership with Hims & Hers

Dive Brief:

Hims & Hers, a multi-specialty telehealth platform, on Wednesday announced it is teaming up with Urban Outfitters to offer select Hims products on urbanoutfitters.com.
Over the next few months, Hims & Hers and Urban Outfitters plan to roll out select Hers products and more Hims products on the retailer's website, according to the press release.
Among the first items the companies will offer are products for skin care, hair loss, sexual health, supplements and other personal care items. Notably, the Blur Stick Concealer for Men, which Hims & Hers launched in May, will be Urban Outfitters’ first foray into the men’s makeup category, the company said.

Dive Insight:

Besides the forthcoming Hims & Hers products, Urban Outfitters already offers similar skin care, wellness and men’s grooming items. But through the Hims & Hers partnership, the retailer is expanding its offerings even further, and pushing into new categories.

"Our priority has, and will always be, the consumer," Melissa Baird, chief operating officer of Hims & Hers, said in a statement. "Being able to expand our product reach to consumers through a partnership with such an iconic and inspirational lifestyle brand is incredibly exciting for us."

The collaboration between Hims & Hers and Urban Outfitters is part of a broader trend of established retailers partnering with direct-to-consumer brands. In April 2019, Ulta began offering Madison Reed hair color products across more than 1,200 stores and online. Last month, Sephora added hair care products from DTC brand Vegamour to its lineup. Meanwhile, Nordstrom has developed relationships with multiple DTC brands, including Bonobos, Everlane and Reformation, to cater to Gen Z and millennial customers.

Partnering with a traditional retailer offers DTC companies the opportunity to take their brands offline and acquire a new set of customers, while established retailers benefit from attracting a younger set of consumers to their stores.

"Digitally native consumers who visit Urban Outfitters are looking for the most personalized experiences that help them express their authentic selves," Jena Tracey, executive director of merchandising for Urban Outfitters, said in a statement. "There is great synergy between the Urban Outfitters customer and those digitally native consumers who are interested in the personalized health and wellness offerings of Hims & Hers, and we are thrilled to be offering such beautiful and high quality products to people on our site."