Amazon leans into tentpole events, hosts a Summer Beauty Haul sale

The news: Amazon’s second annual Summer Beauty Haul weeklong sales event launches Monday, May 13, at 12am PDT.

• Like Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, the event is not limited to Prime members.
• In addition to limited discounts, consumers will receive a $10 promotional credit when they spend at least $50 on beauty products sold by Amazon during the event.

Amazon’s focus on beauty: We expect Amazon will account for 6.9% of all health and beauty sales this year.

• That’s a major leap from three years earlier when it accounted for just 4.4% of all sales in the category, and there's a significant runway for Amazon to capture a greater share of the market.
• One way it aims to do so is by luring more high-profile brands onto its platform. For example, Clinique recently became the first Estée Lauder brand to set up shop on Amazon’s Premium Beauty store, which also features brands such as Laneige, Sun Bum, La Roche Posay, and Elemis.

Tentpole events: Summer Beauty Haul will be Amazon’s third targeted sale in May. It hosted Amazon Gaming Week from April 30 through May 5, and Amazon Pet Day begins on May 7.

• Amazon is increasingly using seasonal or category-specific events to drive sales and build awareness of its growing selection of name brands.
• The events also boost retail media spending as brands aim to ensure they are front and center during the sale.

The big takeaway: Not only will the Summer Beauty Haul event likely boost sales on Amazon, but it may also help put the retail giant top-of-mind for some beauty shoppers who previously hadn’t considered buying their makeup or skincare products on its platform.