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Omnichannel Growth 10/20/2026
Düsseldorf, 20 October, 2026 – The DOUGLAS Group, Europe’s leading premium beauty retailer, further expands its Gift Card business with the launch of a self-service B2B Gift Card shop in Germany. Developed in partnership with payment provider epay, the new standalone online shop enables companies to order large quantities of DOUGLAS Gift Cards quickly and conveniently for business purposes such as employee incentives, customer rewards, and corporate gifting. The new platform is part of the Group’s broader strategy to further expand its Gift Card business across three complementary sales channels, including its own channels, B2B sales, and third-party distribution.
“Gift Cards are much more than a gifting product for us. They are a strategic growth driver that connects our stores, online shop, and app while bringing new customers into the DOUGLAS ecosystem,” said Eberhard Wirtz, Senior Vice President (SVP) Group Sales Channel Excellence. “At the same time, we see significant growth potential in the corporate gifting market. With our new self-service B2B Gift Card shop, we make it easier than ever for companies to purchase DOUGLAS Gift Cards at scale, strengthening our position as Europe’s leading destination for beauty gifting.”
B2B is an important sales channel for DOUGLAS Gift Cards. While the channel accounted for around 20% of total Gift Card sales in FY 2024/25, the Group sees significant growth potential in a structurally underpenetrated market. In the new self-service B2B Gift Card shop, companies can place bulk orders of vouchers with values from 5 to 250 euros and choose from a range of envelope designs. Vouchers can be downloaded as PDFs or ordered as physical Gift Cards delivered by mail. Following the successful launch in Germany, the Group plans to roll out the self-service offering to additional markets, beginning with Austria, the Netherlands, and Poland next year. Alongside the self-service shop, dedicated key account managers will continue to support major corporate customers.
Gift Cards are an important omnichannel growth driver
Operating in a category that is inherently linked to gifting, DOUGLAS is ideally positioned to meet customers’ needs for meaningful and convenient gift solutions. Gift-giving remains a resilient category, even in economically challenging times, while beauty products continue to rank among the most popular gifts across a wide range of occasions.
As one of the strongest-performing individual products in the assortment, DOUGLAS Gift Cards are a proven and scalable growth driver and play a key role in attracting new customers, encouraging repeat purchases, strengthening customer loyalty, and extending brand reach. They increase basket sizes, generate additional sales beyond the card value, and drive traffic across both stores and digital channels. Around 70% of DOUGLAS Gift Cards are redeemed in stores (FY 2024/25), underlining their role as an important omnichannel connector.
Further growth across own channels and third-party distribution
To unlock further growth potential, the DOUGLAS Group is also increasing the visibility and discoverability of Gift Cards across its own channels. Gift Cards sold through DOUGLAS’ own physical and digital channels are the foundation of the company’s Gift Card business, accounting for the majority of Gift Card sales across all markets (70% in FY 2024/25). Initiatives include dedicated in-store displays in high-visibility locations, enhanced placement and promotional activity in the online shop and app, as well as a new 360-degree marketing campaign under the motto “ALWAYS THE RIGHT GIFT”. Together, these initiatives further strengthen the role of Gift Cards as an important omnichannel growth driver and reinforce DOUGLAS’ position as a leading destination for beauty gifting.
Beyond its own channels, the DOUGLAS Group also sells Gift Cards through third-party partners, including grocery, convenience, and other retail stores. In FY 2024/25, third-party distribution accounted for around 10% of total Gift Card sales. Going forward, the Group aims to unlock additional growth potential by optimizing its existing distribution network through active management of partner relationships and point-of-sale locations, while also expanding distribution into further markets.
The DOUGLAS Group, with its commercial brands DOUGLAS, NOCIBÉ, Parfumdreams and Niche Beauty, is the number one omnichannel premium beauty destination in Europe. The DOUGLAS Group is inspiring customers to live their own kind of beauty by offering a unique assortment online and in around 1,970 stores. With unparalleled size and access to customers, the DOUGLAS Group is the partner of choice for brands and offers a premium range of selective and exclusive brands as well as own corporate brands. The assortment includes fragrances, color cosmetics, skin care, hair care, accessories as well as beauty services. Strengthening its successful omnichannel positioning while consistently developing superior customer experience is at the heart of the DOUGLAS Group strategy “Let it Bloom”. The winning business model is underpinned by the Group’s omnichannel proposition, leading brands, and data capabilities. In the financial year 2024/2025, the DOUGLAS Group generated sales of 4.58 billion euros and employed more than 19,900 people across Europe. The DOUGLAS Group (Douglas AG) is listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Maren Peters
Senior Manager Group Communications
Tel: +49 211 16847 6644
Mail: newsroom@douglas.de
