Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I beheld much to admire in a recent podcast in which Hayley Curcio, Head of MECCAversity, shared the iconic retailer’s approach not only to training its workforce but also to educating its customers.

The host Marnina Diprose set the scene aptly: As an expert “we assume that people will just get what we’re saying, without the context of us being in the industry or being educated for multiple years.”

To which Hayley added: “It’s the why … Really understand how it links back to the problem they’re trying to solve.”

I think those two observations describe customer education in a nutshell.

It’s not so much about pushing product, although the positive impact of customer education on revenue and retention is well documented. It’s about empowering your customers to make informed decisions and deepen their connection to your brand.

And I can see this mindset manifest at MECCAversity. One of the tutorials isn’t titled How to use NARS #12 Cream Blending Brush; it’s titled How to Recreate NARS’ Signature Smoky Eye. Similarly, another tutorial isn’t titled How to apply Violette Petal Bouche Matte; it’s titled How to Create an Effortless Red Lip with Violette. There’s even a tutorial titled How to summer-proof your makeup sans vendor name.

In other words, MECCA’s education strategy isn’t product centered. It’s customer centered.

They identify the moments that matter in your makeup routine. They isolate the pain points and define the problems you’re trying to solve.

Then they solve them.