As a university student, budgets can be tight but even so, I can always justify my purchases at Sephora. They carry such a diverse range of products and often times I find myself browsing their website, and following through with my purchases in store. Their great in-store atmosphere was explored by Anna Yu in her What Makes you Beautiful post and although I do believe that Sephora’s physical locations are how they draw customers in, I believe it is their strong use of omnichannel retailing that creates such a strong customer value proposition and lifelong relationship. This company understands exactly how their consumers shop and have made this transaction as simple as possible, whether it be online or brick and mortar purchases, which is why I, among millions of others have become such loyal customers.
From the moment you sign up for their Beauty Insider rewards card (80% of purchases are made through this card), you are integrated into their online system. This system not only enables you (and Sephora) to track every single purchase you have ever made, whether it be online or a brick and mortar purchase, but it also allows you to collect points which are redeemable for sample products. 
This system then sends personalized emails featuring products that are recommended specifically for you based on your past purchases, which has been a very effective method of direction advertisement for this company. As this company has integrated this card through both online and brick and mortar shopping, consumers have a wealth of information that facilitate their shopping experiences.
Furthermore, Sephora has launched a mobile app, which now has more than 2 million users. This app has been built so that it can be used both by itself for online shopping/browsing or to enhance the in-store experience. This app takes it to the next level for Apple users. As the app can be integrated into the Apple Passbook, it allows the company to send messages to the consumer, when they are in close proximity to a store - notifying them about any promotions and encouraging the consumer to stop by. Once the consumer is in-store they can simply scan a product barcode with their phone using the app and have access to hundreds of reviews for that product among other information.
As well, if a consumer wants to get the in-store experience and has a specific product in mind but doesn’t want to make a pointless trip, they can check if the product is in stock in-stores before making a trip to the mall.
On the other hand, if a consumer enjoys online shopping but has hesitations due to the personal aspects of makeup, they are able to take a selfie on the app and “try-on” any lipstick or product they would like. This simple feature allows consumers to have a more interactive and personalized online shopping experience. Although their app is a great way to shop, their online website is also a great option as the site is easy to navigate and visually attractive.
“Every decision that we make has our customer at the center. I think a lot of companies say that. But we really mean it. We think about, “How will this impact our customer?” “What’s the right thing for our customer?” “
-Bridget Dolan, VP of Interactive Media at Sephora
Overall, Sephora follows through and does an excellent job at ensuring they understand their customers across every touch point. They provide value to their customers through their flawlessly integrated omnichannel retailing methods that allow the easiest access and use for their consumers.
Ashleigh Baird
References:
http://albertaretail.blogspot.ca/search?q=sephora
http://www.sephora.com/?country_switch=ca&lang=en
http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2013/04/18/sephora-department-stores-cannot-stop-its-global-growth/#2858a4d42286
http://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/marc-jacobs-sephora-lvmh-branded-beauty-strategy
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