Intelligent Beauty: How Ulta Beauty uses AI personalization to power loyalty and relevance at scale
Speed of Culture Podcast VideosFebruary 24, 202600:26:45

Intelligent Beauty: How Ulta Beauty uses AI personalization to power loyalty and relevance at scale

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Kelly Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer at Ulta Beauty, live from CES 2026 in Las Vegas. In this interview, Kelly unpacks how Ulta Beauty’s loyalty program and personalization engine drive nearly all sales. They also discuss why motivation-based marketing segmentation has replaced traditional demographics, and how AI-powered personalization in beauty and wellness retail shapes everything from recommendations to creative execution. The conversation further explores Ulta Beauty’s omnichannel customer journey, its evolving beauty and wellness retail strategy, and how Adobe CDP and Adobe Firefly creative automation support marketing at scale.

[Timestamp: 01:26] – Why Ulta Beauty Belongs at CES
[Timestamp: 02:03] – Global Expansion and the Beauty–Wellness Strategy
[Timestamp: 05:51] – Loyalty at Scale as a Competitive Advantage
[Timestamp: 07:54] – From Demographics to Motivation-Based Marketing
[Timestamp: 18:38] – AI, Creativity, and the Future of Marketing Teams

Listen to this Kelly Mahoney Ulta Beauty interview on The Speed of Culture podcast to understand how Ulta Beauty Rewards loyalty program, AI-powered personalization, and a modern beauty and wellness retail approach shape the brand’s growth strategy for 2026.

Apple Podcast: https://suzy.news/e80081
Spotify Podcast: https://suzy.news/aa73e2

#SpeedOfCulture #UltaBeauty #CES2026 #MarketingLeadership #Loyalty #Personalization @AdweekMag
suzy, matt britton, Market research platform, market research, consumer insights,