Placer.ai: Visits rise at Ulta, Bath & Body Works to start 2026
Two personal care retailers are seeing success when it comes to store visits.
A new report from Placer.ai reveals that foot traffic trends at Ulta Beauty and Bath & Body Works reveals how the right strategy can drive both brick-and-mortar and online growth for retailers.
Tracking both total visits and same-store visits compared to the previous year, Ulta Beauty saw traffic increase in January following a flat December. To start 2026, visits to Ulta were up 5.6% year over year, while same-store visits were up 5.3%. Visits in December rivaled the May 2025 peak for the chain in the past 12 months, when visits were up 6.1% year over year.
Placer.ai says the upswing in visits suggest the company could be on track for another positive quarter.
At Bath & Body Works, monthly visits remained positive throughout 2025 and into early 2026. Visits increased 14.1% year over year in January, while same-store visits were up 10.4% compared to last January. October 2025 was the company’s most successful month in the past year, with visits and same-store visits surging 24.2% and 17.8% respectively.
Placer.ai noted that last year, both retailers attracted an outsized share of family-oriented segments. Wealthy Suburban Families, Upper Suburban Diverse Families, and Near-Urban Diverse Families were overrepresented in captured markets relative to potential markets for both brands. Meanwhile, shares of Young Urban Singles, Young Professionals, and Educated Urbanites (well-educated, younger consumers) were smaller in both brands’ captured markets than in their potential markets.
While both Ulta and Bath & Body Works resonate with established, family households, incremental growth may hinge on driving more traffic from younger consumers, Placer.ai noted.
“Ulta and Bath & Body Works’ traffic patterns suggest that beauty demand remains resilient, even as consumer spending patterns evolve,” said Ezra Carmel, content writer at Placer.ai. “And both brands are positioning for their next phase of growth through multi-pronged strategies that address deepening engagement from younger audiences.”
