L’Oreal subsidiary adapts online marketplace model for salon pros

The world’s largest beauty brand will launch one of the salon industry's first digital marketplaces dedicated to professional beauty products.

SalonCentric, L'Oréal USA's salon professional distribution operation, will roll out an e-commerce marketplace on the Mirakl Marketplace Platform in the second half of 2021. The company will utilize the Mirakl Marketplace Connector for Salesforce Commerce Cloud to ease integration with its current Salesforce Commerce Cloud eCommerce site.

Other retailers including Kroger and Hudson’s Bay are also leveraging Mirakl technology to support online third-party sales platforms. 

Building on SalonCentric's growing e-commerce business, the marketplace will be intended to offer a one-stop destination where salons and stylists can efficiently purchase professional products at competitive prices. According to SalonCentric, current professional salon product procurement options are fractured and inefficient due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The marketplace will offer an expanded assortment of men's and women's haircare, color and styling products, nail care, tools and accessories from curated third-party vendors. Through the marketplace, SalonCentric also plans to expand into new categories, including salon equipment, hair extensions, and salon software and services.

According to SalonCentric, the marketplace will triple its product selection online with the addition of over 350 third-party vendors, in addition to its current 150 vendors, on SalonCentric.com. Vendors will be able to sell directly to SalonCentric customers through the marketplace. 

"In the current economic climate, increased efficiency and cost savings are vital to success for the salon owners and beauty professionals that SalonCentric serves. With this marketplace, SalonCentric is embracing innovation in service of our customers' success, offering them immediate access to the widest selection of products and brands with a seamless eCommerce experience," said Bertrand Fontaine, president of SalonCentric. "Mirakl's platform and outstanding track record of enabling business-to-business marketplace success at scale made them the ideal partner for this crucial marketplace initiative."

Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and created by L’Oreal USA, SalonCentric operates 585 SalonCentric stores and 260 State and RDA stores.