A study from NielsenIQ, conducted for Ulta Beauty in the US during spring 2026 shows that the Gen Alpha generation as a more hybrid approach to shopping for beauty products that what you could expect. Digital discovery and physical retail aren’t competing channels but sequential steps in their customer journey.
Indeed, 78% of Gen Alpha consumers discover beauty products online but 77% then go look for real-world confirmation before they buy may it be by visiting a store to try in person (37%), asking family how to use a product (37%), or asking friends for recommendations (36%). Discovery happens on a screen, but validation still happens in a room with people.
And despite growing up with apps and algorithms, most of this generation still prefers to buy beauty products in a physical store: 73% of fragrance shoppers, 70% of makeup shoppers, 66% across skincare, hair, and nail care. Their reasons are practical with 43% to 51% wanting to take the product home immediately while another 33% to 49% want to discover something new in person.
Using digital personalization tools for shopping is already mainstream within this generation. 73% use some form of it while shopping, whether tailored recommendations (35%), AI-powered search (31%), or content suggestions based on their interests (29%). Teen boys are the fastest-adopting segment, with 26% already using AI shopping assistants nearly double the rate of the rest of Gen Alpha at about 15%.
AI users are more likely than non-users to say it makes shopping feel relevant (44% vs. 24%), enjoyable (42% vs. 27%), and efficient (42% vs. 29%), and trust in a recommendation rises sharply when they understand why it was made (38% vs. 23%). And more interestingly AI isn’t pulling Gen Alpha away from stores but sending more traffic there. Consumers who use AI shopping tools visit physical stores to browse and try products at more than 1.5 times the rate of non-users (57% vs. 36%).
But this does not make parents less important. 98% of Gen Alpha parents say they play an active role in beauty purchases, and parents remain the single most trusted influence on Gen Alpha (41%), ahead of social media (34%) and friends (29%). To earn the trust of parents retailers should focus on an assortment appropriate for kids, clear ingredient labelling, and staff who know the products.
My takeaway is that to target Gen Alpha brands and retailers should not choose between investing in AI or investing in stores. They need design a better integration between them with better personalization tools, store experiences that reward the trip, and enough transparency for parents to stay comfortable letting their kids explore.