Dawn Block

Dawn Block

Senior Vice President of Beauty and Essentials

Target

How does your company support Indie brands?

Offering exposure to an entirely new segment of guests is the biggest thing Target can do to help indie beauty brands. Between our in-store assortment and our ever-growing Target.com presence, we reach millions of guests every day who are hungry for the latest beauty products and trends. We also can provide indie beauty brands with insights about how guests are shopping within beauty, which helps them understand the landscape today as well as look ahead to anticipate what’s coming in the future.

How did you get into beauty?

My current role in Beauty is somewhat of a happy accident. I’ve always been focused on merchandising, and have had the pleasure of working on many different categories over the years, with e-commerce and online retail making up the bulk of my professional experience. After a few years at Target, I was presented with the opportunity to oversee our Beauty and Essentials business. It’s been a new challenge that has allowed me to learn a lot about the products and the way guests shop this category, and I have really enjoyed immersing myself in this rapidly changing and exciting industry.

What advice do you have for indie brands?

If I were to offer one piece of advice, I would tell indie beauty brands to focus on differentiation. Guests have so many options when shopping for beauty products, so focus on what makes your brand and products special in order to really stand out in a crowded space.

Why do you love indie beauty?

Target is constantly looking for opportunities to bring guests something new and unexpected, and indie beauty brands play a big role in helping us do this. We’re focused on expanding our assortment of niche and indie offerings to provide guests with a fun surprise around every corner. I love getting to know some of the smaller brands and enjoy working with them to help Target guests discover products they may not have even known existed if they hadn’t been browsing the aisles of our store or our website.