Amazon’s New Pro Store and What That Means for You

(And For Your Clients)


If you’ve read our recent article about our hot take on Amazon and how to compete with them when it comes to the retail side of your business, you’re probably more than a little familiar with this phrase—It’s Amazon’s world, baby, and we’re all just living in it.

(And, you know, if you haven’t read that article, we think you should—check it out here).

As much as we absolutely adore Amazon in our private lives, we can certainly acknowledge when it comes to the beauty business, Amazon can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Not only is it incredibly hard to compete with a big-as-life company who has endless resources, constantly evolving technology, and more money than they know what to do with, but it’s also hard to not stand up and applaud what they’re doing.

Well, Amazon did it again, you guys—they sharpened that double-edged sword. And you know what? We’re kind of excited about it.

On June 24, the eCommerce god announced the grand opening of the Amazon Professional Beauty Store—a new, online page that’s targeted directly at us. When I say us, you know exactly what I mean—the hairstylists, the estheticians, the barbers, the color queens. Amazon literally created an online mecca that’s got the products we know, love, and can’t live without all in one, single place for us to stock up on at our convenience.


Some Basic Need-to-Knows

Of course, with any new unveiling, there are some vital, need-to-know details that you should be aware of before you jump right in. For starters—and we think this one is pretty important—this little corner of Amazon heaven is not for everyone. That means your customers—love them to death—can’t log on and purchase these professional products. In fact, according to Amazon’s business blog, “the new professional-use selection requires a license to purchase products, such as a state-issued cosmetology, barber, or esthetician license.” AKA, all you need to do is create a free Amazon Business account and then upload your license information in order to gain access to the brands you know, love, and crave.

Another important point? The Amazon Professional Beauty Store abides by the 1-2-day Prime shipping policy (you know, the factor that keeps us all completely addicted to Amazon). Further, Amazon claims that many of these high-quality, professional brands and products will be available for lower prices on Amazon.


What This Means for Us (OK, and for Our Clients, Too)

So, what exactly does this mean for us, as stylists—and, uhm, for our clients, too (can’t forget about them). Before we lose you in the hubbub that is the infinite Amazon excitement, let’s just lay out a few prime points that outline what we’re getting and honestly, what we’re losing by Amazon creating this online mecca.

  • Easy access to brands we love, like OPI, R+Co, V76, Oribe, Epicuren, Pureology, glo, Clarity Rx, and so much more—they actually have a whole list of salon-quality products here (go check it out)
  • Faster, more efficient ways to stay well-stocked so we’re never out of products—that makes us a more reliable resource for our clients, which, ultimately, makes them happier.
  • We move away from that person-to-person relationship we’ve honed with our local beauty stores—and you know, we constantly preach that in-person relationships are what our  clients should strive for (it’s what keeps them buying products from us versus ordering on Amazon, right?)
  • It’s likely we won’t have to run around to several different stores or click through different sites—instead, we can most likely put it a single, recurring order on a single site, making your inventory stocking session much more efficient.
  • Likely pretty competitive pricing, which means you can allocate your funds toward client experience

In conclusion, for today, we’ll lay down our hairspray and clippers, putting our weapons aside to marvel at the awesomeness that is Amazon. Love what they’re doing or hate it, it’s still a pretty wild idea that they could create a virtual store that melds together the brands we love more than anything, making it more convenient than ever for us to stock up on the products we need. Sure, our retail biz might continue to suffer due to their gigantic presence—but for now, let’s just smile, band together as stylists, and marvel at how far the beauty industry has come.

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