Sephora: Customer Excellence

 

Sephora is a prime example of what it is to have customer excellence. They retain loyal customers and go above and beyond to give their customers the best shopping experience. 

                                       

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I can honestly say that I have never had a bad customer service experience at Sephora. For me it's not just about buying prestigious beauty products and cosmetics, it's about the whole shopping experience.  You are welcomed by a smiling Sephora employee as you walk in the door. They are so incredibly helpful and don’t make you feel silly for asking too many questions. They work with you in order to find the best product for you! They try to do what’s best of the customer.  If you’d like to try a product, they apply it on you and color match it to you  if needed. They also give you tips and advice to get the best use of a product.  You’ll look forward to going back to shop! If for any reason you are not satisfied with your product purchase, you can return or exchange the product at the store or by mail. Purchases from Sephora.com are easy to return by mail without any charges.    I once received a damaged product that I ordered online. I called their customer support and the representative was so incredibly helpful and apologized for the inconvenience. They resolved the issue quickly and efficiently and sent me a new product.  They have BEAUTYTALK support and customer support on their online website that you can use if you have any quick questions or concerns.

They retain loyal customers by giving them exclusive offers and with their beauty insider,  VIB (very important beauty insider),  and VIB rouge rewards programs.  I know what you must be thinking, there are many retail stores with rewards programs, but Sephora’s rewards are a bit different from the rest.  When you sign up for the rewards system you are automatically considered a beauty insider. The rewards programs are only based on the points you accumulate. Every dollar you spend is equal to one point, sometimes they even offer 2x or 3x the points on certain products or promotions. The points accumulate and do not expire like at other stores! As a beauty insider you get benefits such as, a birthday gift, free beauty classes, seasonal promotions, and product rewards.   Spending $350  at Sephora in a calendar year, will give you VIB status for the remaining of that year and the following year. VIB status gives you all the beauty insider benefits, seasonal VIB gifts, earlier access to sales, private shopping events, and you get to buy new products first. In order to gain VIB rouge access, you have to spend $1000 in a calendar year.  With VIB ROUGE you get, all beauty insider and VIB benefits, free 2-day shipping on orders, special gifts, and you get to attend exclusive rouge events. Each month there will be a few options from the rewards boutique. You can get these mini sized products with you rewards points. Sephora offers you free samples when you make an online purchase.  

Their customer excellence sets them apart from any other beauty retail store!

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Sephora: 4E's Framework for Social Media

I think Sephora does a excellent job of marketing on social media. They were one of the first beauty retail companies to be more digitally inclined and it has definitely been beneficial for them.

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Sephora excites their customers about new products and ideas by using their own mobile application and social media applications, like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube.  They communicate new products, deals, and promotions to their customers daily. When you follow the company on social media, you get to see the product on a model not just the product in its packaging. They'll explain how to use the product. That kind of brings the element of excitement for me. I’m like oh; I’d like to try that! Then I’ll either buy the product  at the store, their website, or on their mobile application. If you shop at Sephora regularly, having the Sephora app is a must!  With their app, you get notifications on their new beauty offers. These mobile offers can include anything from free samples, new products, and markdowns on products.  VIB, (very important beauty insider), is their rewards program. Every dollar you spend equals to one point. Every month they have different rewards products that you can buy with your points. The online site and mobile application will give you a list of products that you might like based on your purchase history and products that you’ve viewed recently.  It's almost like they had pick products for me to try! How cool is that!?

I believe Sephora is able to keep their competitive advantage by educating the customers through YouTube and blogging tools like twitter.  They’re able to grab the attention of potential customers and educate them about their products. This is a great platform for them to set themselves apart from other beauty retail stores. 

They make it easy for us to  experience their products and services through social media applications. Sephora explains how the products work, what’s in the products, and how to use them on social media sites, like  YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. They have quick and easy tutorials on Instagram and Snapchat. If you want a longer,  more thorough tutorial, you should go to their Facebook page or their YouTube channel.   As I mentioned on my last post, you can also watch HOW TO videos on their website and mobile app.  One of my favorite things to do with the Sephora app is the VIRTUAL ARTIST.  This tool will use the front facing camera on your smartphone and it’ll focus on your lips and overlay the color lip color that you pick on your lips.  You can swipe through different shades of color and brands.  This allows us to try on all of the lip shades that Sephora offers without having to go to the store to physically try them! I’m obsessed with this tool! I can try on lipstick shades whenever and wherever I want!

Sephora also has many ways of engaging with the customer. Engaging with the customers is important for them because they receive feedback and it has the potential of making customers loyal to the brand. Sephora makes it easy for customers to do this through social media because they can just comment on their posts on Facebook, Instagram, twitter, and YouTube.  Customers also engage with Sephora through blogging and microblogging. They are able to give negative or positive reviews on the company.  We,  as the customers,  can let them know exactly how we feel about their products and services. 

Sephora: Creating value in goods and services

Sephora does a fantastic job at marketing their products by offering a variety of needs for their customers. They create value in their goods and services. Whether you go to their online website or to the store, you will be offered goods, services, and ideas for all of your beauty needs.  This beauty retail store sells a broad range of quality prestigious brands as well as their own label of products.  You can find anything from skincare, cosmetics, hair styling tools, perfumes, and hair therapies at Sephora.  

  As you walk in, you are pleasantly welcomed by the friendly staff. Their customer service is great and it is something that you’ll remember.  It makes me want to go back to buy their products! They go out of their way to make sure you get products that are affordable and best suited for you. Let’s say you want to buy mascara, a Sephora employee will suggest a few different types of mascara brands based on what you are looking for. They explain what the products do and how to properly apply or use them.  You can also take samples of products if you are not certain what to buy at the moment. I love that I have the chance to try the product before making a commitment.  If you buy a product and don’t like it, you can return it even if you’ve used it! I don’t know of any other beauty retail store that allows you to do this.

 Sephora has buying guides, advice, and how-to’s for their customers.  The Sephora PRO team, which consists of 15 make-up artists, gives their top product picks each month on the Sephora website. They also have videos and guides for whatever your needs are. The Sephora makeup artists at the physical stores can also teach you how to apply your foundation with the proper brushes or tools if you’d like help with that.

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One of the best services that Sephora offers is their Color IQ technology. This system sets it apart from other beauty retail competitors because no other company has it.  The makeup artist will begin by scanning the surface of your skin with a small device that has a camera and it will generate your Color IQ number. The Color IQ number is specific to you and your skin tone.  The system will pull up various products along with the shades that are best for you. It can also weed out bad foundations for your skin type; whether it is oily or dry. This technology helps you find foundation, concealer, and lip color exclusively for your skins surface tones and undertones.  You can also use this number when you are shopping online on their website.  You just type in your number and it will give you the top results for your skin type and tone!  Now, you can purchase products from the comfort of your living room that are fit perfectly for you online. You will no longer worry about getting the wrong item or shade of product.  

Things like these are what keep me a loyal customer to Sephora!