Ulta study shows Gen Alpha still values stores and staff guidance
Gen Alpha shops online first, but 77% still want in-store validation, a shift that could put more pressure on Big Lots associates to guide and reassure.
Gen Alpha may discover beauty on screens, but the buying decision still lands in a store, where someone has to explain the shelf, the value and the difference between one product and the next. That is the piece Big Lots workers should care about most: the shopper who arrives already informed, already comparing, and still looking for proof before handing over cash.
Ulta Beauty’s new study, Smart Beauty: AI, Personalization & the Gen Alpha Consumer, found that 78% of Gen Alpha respondents discover beauty through at least one online source, while 77% then seek real-world validation. NIQ conducted the research from April through May 2026, and the results suggest digital discovery is not replacing stores so much as raising the bar for what happens inside them.
The study found that 73% of Gen Alpha use personalization tools, and AI users visit stores to browse or try products more often than non-users, 57% versus 36%. In-store preference remained strongest for fragrance at 73%, followed by makeup at 70%, with skincare, hair care and nail care each at 66%. Parents were the top “most helpful” influence at 41%, and 98% of Gen Alpha shoppers said they play an active role in shopping decisions. Another 33% said they prioritize safe, welcoming retail environments.
For store teams, that is a big clue: digital influence is not reducing the need for labor on the floor, it is changing the kind of labor that matters. Shoppers who have already seen a product in an AI result or on social media may still need help finding the right shade, checking what is left in stock, or deciding whether a closeout is the right substitute for the item they came in for. That makes speed, product knowledge and trust-building more central to the job.
The connection to Big Lots is immediate. Variety Wholesalers bought 219 Big Lots stores out of bankruptcy, reopened the first wave on April 10, 2025, and finished the reopening phase on June 5, 2025. The company said it would add family apparel and electronics, lean less on furniture and focus on lower-priced branded apparel as it rebuilt the chain around a “brands for less” position and a treasure-hunt feel.
That mix is exactly the kind of store environment where guided validation matters. A customer walking in with a price comparison, a social media recommendation or an AI-generated suggestion is not just shopping for a deal. She is looking for an associate who can turn that digital curiosity into a confident purchase, and that raises the stakes for training, staffing and the basics of knowing the floor.
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