B2C Consumer App / Platform · AdTech Vendor · vs · Retailer & Marketplace
Howl vs Ulta Beauty
Structured technology and market comparison · 2026
Direct Feature Comparison
Howl · vs · Ulta BeautyCreator commerce platform for affiliate links, storefronts and brand deals.
Omnichannel beauty retailer with retail media and marketplace revenues.
Analyze all overlapping signals and tech stacks for Howl and Ulta Beauty
Compare mutual enterprise clients, monetization models, live market signals, and partner networks directly in the interactive Knowledge Graph.
Comparison Analysis
What is the main difference between Howl and Ulta Beauty?
When comparing Howl and Ulta Beauty, both platforms operate within the Retail Media Technology, In-App, and Affiliate Marketing Platform / Network ecosystem. Howl is positioned as Creator commerce platform for affiliate links, storefronts and brand deals, whereas Ulta Beauty focuses on Omnichannel beauty retailer with retail media and marketplace revenues. Decision-makers evaluate both solutions when orchestrating their commercial monetization and technology stack.
What are the top alternatives to Howl and Ulta Beauty?
When evaluating Howl and Ulta Beauty, enterprise buyers also consider other platforms in Retail Media Technology, In-App, and Affiliate Marketing Platform / Network. You can discover the full competitive landscape and evaluate other alternatives by viewing their respective footprint profiles on Polaris7.
How do the corporate scale, structure, and headquarters of Howl and Ulta Beauty compare?
Howl is headquartered in United States (founded in 2015) with 10–49 employees. Ulta Beauty is based in United States (founding year unrecorded) with Unknown. Complete ownership, subsidiary trees, and corporate affiliations are documented across Polaris7.
Market Signals
Recent Market Signals & Activity: Howl vs Ulta Beauty
Documented market movements, strategic partnerships, product releases, and regulatory developments mapped across Polaris7.
Howl
Recent Signals
- ·AdweekM&A
Howl Sells Creator Business to Taboola's Connexity
Howl, a commerce platform connecting content creators to retailers, has quietly sold its creator business division to Connexity, a commerce platform owned by Taboola. The sale took place in August, and financial details were not disclosed. Howl has faced accusations of late payments to publishers and creators, with some publishers still owed money. Connexity has reportedly paid off balances owed to creators and aims to fix payment issues. Howl is reassessing its strategy and plans to continue operating in the commerce space, exploring AI-native commerce opportunities.
- Howl sold its creator business to Connexity, a Taboola-owned commerce platform, in August.
- Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
- Howl has faced accusations of late payments to publishers and creators, with some publishers still owed money.
Ulta Beauty
Recent Signals
- ·AdweekRetail Media
Selena Gomez and Tate McRae Star in Ulta Beauty Holiday Campaign
Ulta Beauty has launched its holiday campaign 'The Magic Starts with You', featuring pop stars Selena Gomez and Tate McRae. The campaign continues the Mrs. Claus storyline from last year, with Sandra Gray reprising the role. One spot highlights Rare Beauty's brow gel set, marking the brand's first retail expansion beyond Sephora since February. Another spot features Tate McRae's new fragrance, Tate 01, which launched in October during Paris Fashion Week and is exclusive to Ulta in the U.S. The campaign was created by Tamara Group and directed by Nema Vand. It rolls out across TV, streaming, digital, social media, and in-store experiences starting October 31. Ulta also introduced its first 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar.
- Ulta Beauty launched its holiday campaign 'The Magic Starts with You' on October 31, 2026.
- The campaign features Selena Gomez and Tate McRae, both of whom have beauty brands sold at Ulta.
- Ulta began carrying Rare Beauty in February 2026, marking its first retail expansion beyond Sephora.
- ·Marketing BrewPrivacy
Retailers Using Flock Cameras Face Brand Reputation Risk
Retailers such as Ulta Beauty and Lowe's are facing public backlash over their use of Flock Safety's surveillance cameras, which are used for license plate recognition and crime prevention. The concern revolves around privacy and potential misuse of surveillance data, raising questions about brand reputation and consumer trust. This article examines the tensions between retail security measures and consumer privacy expectations, highlighting the need for retailers to balance safety with transparency.
- Retailers including Ulta Beauty and Lowe's use Flock Safety cameras.
- Flock cameras utilize license plate recognition technology for crime prevention.
- The use of these cameras has sparked public backlash and brand reputation concerns.
- ·The DrumRetail Media
Ulta Beauty CMO on AI and Agentic Commerce
Ulta Beauty's CMO, Kelly Mahoney, discusses how AI is reshaping beauty shopping. The retailer is adapting to agentic commerce by optimizing content for AI prompts, leveraging creator content, and emphasizing the in-store experience. A NielsenIQ study shows Gen Alpha AI users are more likely to visit stores. Ulta is also rethinking its marketing structure with cross-functional 'fusion teams' to maintain judgment and creativity.
- Ulta Beauty's CMO Kelly Mahoney discusses AI's impact on beauty retail.
- Ulta became the first beauty retailer to launch a TikTok Shop.
- A NielsenIQ study commissioned by Ulta shows 57% of Gen Alpha AI users visit stores to browse.
Compare their exact ecosystem overlaps.
Explore all deep relationships in Polaris7. Discover exactly which mutual clients, integrated technologies, and overlapping partners Howl and Ulta Beauty share across the market ecosystem.
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