Sephora, the beauty junkie’s ultimate playhouse.
I don’t think I’ll ever shop for my beauty needs anywhere else unless by some unheard of reason they don’t offer what I need (or a suitable replacement). I LOVE this brand. What it stands for, how they treat their customers, their positioning in the beauty world and the authority it demands.
Sephora stands for high end beauty. No target or walmart brands here. Ulta is the “target” of this company. From content to creative, the entire brand is sexy, glamorous, high end and beautiful. It stays up to the minute on evolving brands and trends.
This used to be a place where other brands could sell their products, but Sephora has filled a gap in it’s own market by offering a successful brand of it’s own. Now you can buy lipstick from Urban Decay, mascara from Christian Dior and eye shadow from Sephora. The monthly magazine is brilliant in peaking a beauty junkie’s interest and luring them in with samples and points.
Sephora has done a smart job of treating their customers special. The beauty insider card (which I of course own) gives you points for every purchase. If you buy online, you get 3 free samples and a deluxe sample (if you have the points) that are constantly in rotation for their customers. On your birthday, Philosophy partnered with Sephora to give you a sample of birthday body wash to celebrate the year. Thanks Sephora!
Sephora has also become an authority in the beauty world. It collaborated with fragrance house Firmenich to hold a “Sensorium” as a way to appreciate fragrance in a completely new and innovative way. From scent memory, tactile experiences and a fragrance bar, it allows consumers to experience fragrance in a whole new way. What I would’ve killed to been able to go to that (ended on November 27th). Here is the write up on the event: http://www.psfk.com/2011/11/sephoras-sensorium-builds-a-new-culture-of-fragrance-appreciation.html
Sephora will always remain one of my favorite places to shop. It’s what Frys and Home Depot is to the guys, the FAO Swartz and Toys R Us to kids. It’s the mecca of beauty.
History:
Sephora was founded in 1970 in France as Shop 8 by Dominique Mandonnaud, who, in 1993, fashioned the store’s unique name by blending the Biblical name of Zipporah (Moses’ exceptionally beautiful wife) with the ancient Greek term for “pretty,” sephos.
Today, Sephora is not only the leading chain of perfume and cosmetics stores in France, it’s also a powerful beauty presence in 24 other countries. In the United States and Canada, there are over 280 Sephora stores and over 270 Sephora inside JCPenney stores.
Sephora is also the world’s top beauty website and recognized as a leading digital brand and continues to advance this arena through mobile and social media initiatives including an active Facebook page, BeautyTalk-its online beauty community, its mobile site and iPhone App.
Owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), the world’s leading luxury goods group, Sephora is highly regarded as a beauty trailblazer, thanks to its unparalleled assortment of prestige products, unbiased service from experts, interactive shopping environment, and innovation.