Kendo Brands isn’t just competing in beauty—they’re setting the pace. With a portfolio that includes Fenty Beauty, Ole Henriksen, and Lip Lab, Kendo doesn’t follow trends. They create them. What gives Kendo its edge? Shopify. By handling the heavy lifting behind the scenes, Shopify lets Kendo focus on what matters: building standout products and experiences for their global community—wherever they shop.
With Shopify, Kendo Brands:
- Became pioneers in social commerce by moving early on TikTok Shop and Roblox
- Defied expectations with their NYC Gloss Bomb Shop pop-up
- Attracted a surge of new customers through the Shop app
- Seamlessly expanded to 191 countries in just two months
Setting trends and leading the way in social commerce
“In the beauty industry, you have to be a risk taker to win,” says Sapna Parikh, Chief Digital Officer of Kendo Brands. "The ability to jump in and be on top of the trends is really the difference between being successful and being average. And we don't want to be average."
For Kendo, meeting customers wherever they are is non-negotiable. That means pioneering new ways to shop—on TikTok Shop, Roblox, and the Shop app—and connecting in person, too.
"Shopify has allowed us to get on top of shifting trends in stealth speed and be first."
With Shopify, Kendo has become a pioneer in the social commerce space, quickly spotting what’s trending with their customers and meeting them where they are.
TikTok Shop: From idea to launch in sixty days
When TikTok Shop launched, Kendo moved quickly. They saw their customers were spending hours each day discovering new products and knew they needed to be there.
Shopify’s integration made what could have been a logistical headache simple—they launched in under two months.
"With the Shopify integration to TikTok Shop, it has made us as a brand a lot faster to go to market. The fact that we are seasoned in Shopify, having used it in all different channels and now having the integration with TikTok Shop makes it super easy for us to launch our store."
Roblox: Bringing behind-the-scenes magic to virtual worlds
When your customers ask to see your brand behind the scenes, but taking them to a manufacturing facility isn't exactly magical, you get creative. Enter Fenty Beauty's Gloss Bomb Lab on Roblox—an imaginative way to show what goes on behind the curtain.
"We thought: with Roblox, why not create a fantastical virtual world that shows what we imagine goes on behind the scenes at Fenty Beauty?" Nanette explains. The integration wasn't just about creating a game—it was about seamlessly connecting virtual engagement with real commerce, letting players earn products through gameplay and purchase them without friction.
When shopping experiences came out on Roblox, Shopify was the first commerce platform to launch an integration, allowing Kendo to lead the market on this new channel. Not only that, but it was seamless for the Kendo team as well—since the team already knew how to build on Shopify, they could focus their efforts on creating a great experience instead of wrestling with new tech. Nanette called the process “seamless,” adding, “Shopify took a lot of the stress off our team.”
Fans loved the gameplay, from the “Rhenna” head merchandise to puffy jackets and Fenty skin beanies.
Connecting with their community—at scale
Kendo knows innovation means nothing without human connection. That’s why they were so excited to put on a three-day pop-up to celebrate their New York Fenty family—but they didn’t stop there. Through the Shop app, they extended the experience to fans everywhere.
Gloss Bomb pop-up: Uniting fans, rain or shine
Having experienced setbacks with pop-ups in the past, Kendo was able to approach this pop-up with confidence knowing they were backed by the power of Shopify POS.
Nanette describes it as "a game changer." One system connected offline sales with website inventory in real time—no more manual reconciliations or mismatches.
And although day one brought pouring rain, loyal fans lined up anyway. "We're honored that our Fenty family is so loyal and they're so highly engaged and that they would stand in the pouring rain to come have fun with us," Nanette reflects.
Shop app: Personalized beauty for mobile shoppers
The pop-up was just the start. Fenty Beauty extended the experience with an exclusive Grape Splash Gloss Bomb shade—first available at the NYC pop-up event, then exclusively on Shop app for 72 hours, then in their Roblox experience. This “phygital” drop strategy unified their new exclusive product launch campaign across three channels, all powered by Shopify.
A personalized quiz launched alongside the exclusive, helping customers find their perfect shade based on their personality.
“Everyone loved it, and we saw a huge increase in new customers,” said Nanette. Sapna added, “We had thousands of people going to the quiz trying to find their perfect shade of Gloss Bomb, and that in itself really shows the power that Shopify and Shop app has built.”
Expanding to 191 countries on one unified platform
Shopify’s unified commerce platform has not only benefitted Kendo’s channel strategy, but its global strategy as well. Before Shopify, global expansion meant separate sites, systems, and headaches. As Sapna explains, "Previously, we had to launch individual sites across all regions, and that's complicated and expensive."
Shopify changed that. Now, Kendo manages global commerce from a single platform, scaling to 191 countries in two months. They get instant visibility into what’s trending and where, so they can act fast. Unified, real-time data gives Kendo an edge.
“Shopify’s data is pure and consistent. We spend less time sifting through sources and more time understanding our customers,” Nanette says.
With clarity in data, Kendo acts swiftly on conversion trends, order values, and product bundles—staying ahead globally.
"To be agile and quick in jumping on trends is what sets us apart from competitors. Shopify empowers us to do this."
An enterprise-grade platform that moves at the speed of culture
For Nanette, Shopify means empowerment. She describes it as "very intuitive for anyone.” Her team can now zero in on what they do best: making the best beauty products and exceptional customer experiences.
“Shopify takes the tech work out of the equation. We’re a beauty brand, not a tech company, so we want to focus on where our expertise is. Shopify really allows us to do that.”
Shopify wasn't always an obvious choice for Kendo. Sapna was initially skeptical of the platform’s ability to meet their needs. "I didn't really think that Shopify could handle the complexity of our backend solutions."
But Sapna discovered their infrastructure—warehouse partners, 3PLs, data tools—was already integrated with Shopify. The platform could scale to fit their needs, now and for the future. As Sapna puts it, “Now I tell other enterprise brands that you might not believe it, but Shopify will one hundred percent fit your needs.”
Looking ahead, Sapna sees Shopify leading the next wave of innovation. Just as with Roblox and TikTok Shop, she’s confident Shopify will drive the future of consumer experiences.
“We’re in an industry defining moment right now with all the different technologies that are arising. Who's the partner that’s going to drive what that next generation of consumer experience is going to be? It's Shopify.”
For enterprise brands ready to move at the speed of culture, take a page from Kendo’s book and partner with a platform that’ll allow you to take risks—and be first.
