How Jentri Quinn Makeup & Skin Achieved 804% Revenue Growth

Background

This story begins with Alex De Mola, an Italian-born engineer turned retailer, and professional makeup artist Jentri Quinn. They founded Cotone Clothing & Beauty Bar in Austin, Texas, in 2015, blending European fashion with local artisan goods and skin care. Even before the pandemic, they maintained a modest online presence powered by BigCommerce since 2011, but the physical storefront drove most revenue.

Pandemic Shock

When COVID-19 lockdowns forced doors shut in 2020, everything changed. Racks of apparel and shelves of cosmetics moved to storage. Half of Alex’s house turned into shipping stations, as they scrambled to serve customers from a cramped garage. A fleeting surge in site visits hinted at online potential, but digital marketing costs and split focus on clothing and beauty threatened to dilute results. They needed clarity and fresh tactics.

Strategic Pivot

Jentri and Alex decided to concentrate solely on the beauty line. They launched Jentri Quinn Makeup & Skin as a dedicated BigCommerce store, redesigned with a clean, video-centric theme. Jentri recorded short tutorials and product demos for every new launch. Video modules embedded in product pages gave customers a virtual try-on experience, while live chat support added real-time guidance.

To expand reach, they linked their inventory to marketplaces with Codisto, automated eBay listings with InkFrog, and managed targeted email sequences via Mailchimp. They also enabled the native Meta integration to drive social commerce. But the secret sauce proved to be TikTok: daily live sessions and concise makeup tips generated thousands of views, converting curiosity into orders.

Optimization & Insights

Analysis came next. With Lucky Orange heatmaps and session recordings, the team identified browsing patterns and checkout friction points. They removed unnecessary form fields, streamlined shipping options, and added a Messenger-based live help feature. A/B tests on button color and copy improved add-to-cart rates by double digits.

Results

• 293% overall traffic increase year-over-year
• 804% surge in monthly online revenue
• 291% jump in Amazon-driven sales

Beyond numbers, customer testimonials praised the personal touch and educational content that made Jentri Quinn Makeup & Skin memorable. Reviews cited clear instructions, rapid support, and feeling like part of a beauty community.

Next Steps

Looking forward, the founders plan to open a wholesale channel on BigCommerce, enabling salon and spa partnerships with credentials, custom catalogs, and tiered pricing. They also intend to pilot a loyalty program, rewarding repeat purchases with exclusive content and early access to new releases—all built into the same scalable platform.

Key Learnings

The journey highlights how a clear focus and deep customer empathy can turn crisis into opportunity. By merging authentic storytelling, channel diversity, and data-driven tweaks on a stable e-commerce backbone, small teams can deliver big results without massive budgets.