Beauty giant gives loyal shoppers their own ‘chat-room’

Sephora’s new service strives to connect customers while they shop.



The specialty retailer launched a digital platform that invites customers enrolled in its Beauty Insider loyalty program to connect and chat about all things beauty. The mobile and online platform serves as a destination for members to find inspiration, ask questions and get recommendations in an unsponsored, real-time social setting.



As members log on, they can post beauty questions, photos and reviews, share experiences and connect with other loyalty members. While all shoppers are invited to read Beauty Insider Community information, only registered members can post new questions, photos, answers, or comments. Members can also track discussions and receive notifications when new posts are added.



The interactive platform is a first for the prestige retail industry, according to Sephora.



“As with any digital innovation that we bring to our clients, we look not only at how we can optimize our client’s online journey for a seamless online and offline experience, but also at how we can make our digital offerings truly essential, intuitive and fun to use,” said Mary Beth Laughton, senior VP of digital at Sephora.



“For our Beauty Insider Community, we set out to take all the things that were working really well across our various digital platforms and combine them for a unified, mobile-friendly experience,” she said. “Community is for those clients who crave a deeper level of beauty connection and inspiration from people just like her, whom she can trust.”



In addition to its interactive platform, the beauty giant is also planning to launch a “Live Community Chat” on each online product page. Here, members can ask questions to other Sephora shoppers — a move that will help them make informed purchase decisions.