Research
Sephora was reactive in their digital strategy. However, they were intelligently selective in what digital products to pursue based on the needs of their customers. In 2010 they only spent 5 percent of their total marketing budget on social media, mobile and video (Ofek, 2012, p. 4). However, Julie Bornstein, senior vice president of Sephora Direct, noticed an increase in usage on Facebook and thousands of recent downloads of their iPhone app and aimed to double the digital marketing budget in 2011 (Ofek, 2012, p. 1). The Sephora Direct team was very methodological in their process of what digital properties to pursue. For example, after launching their ratings and reviews feature on their website in 2008 and experiencing great success, …show more content…
9). Therefore, I would recommend they use in-store beacons, which would be highly valuable to both Sephora and their customers. Beacons are Bluetooth-enabled devices that communicate with shoppers’ smartphones. Sephora would be able to engage with their customers in real time by delivering personalized alerts to shoppers’ mobile phones when they walk in the store, as they are currently planning to do (Thau, 2015). Additionally, Sephora could use the beacons to assist in their email marketing efforts by following-up with shoppers after their in-store experience to provide additional information or offers based on what products they were near during their visit. This provides another way for Sephora to collect and analyze data to better understand what their customers want and provide a more personalized experience for them. Sephora could further enhance and target their email marketing by segmenting their customers who are not Beauty Insider members by the type of products they offer. For example, they can place call-to-action (CTA) buttons on different pages of their website that pertain to product types. Let us say for those customers who are mainly interested in makeup, fragrances, skin care or nail products, they can click on those CTA buttons and opt-in to receive product information and offers on specifically those types of
Sephora was reactive in their digital strategy. However, they were intelligently selective in what digital products to pursue based on the needs of their customers. In 2010 they only spent 5 percent of their total marketing budget on social media, mobile and video (Ofek, 2012, p. 4). However, Julie Bornstein, senior vice president of Sephora Direct, noticed an increase in usage on Facebook and thousands of recent downloads of their iPhone app and aimed to double the digital marketing budget in 2011 (Ofek, 2012, p. 1). The Sephora Direct team was very methodological in their process of what digital properties to pursue. For example, after launching their ratings and reviews feature on their website in 2008 and experiencing great success, …show more content…
9). Therefore, I would recommend they use in-store beacons, which would be highly valuable to both Sephora and their customers. Beacons are Bluetooth-enabled devices that communicate with shoppers’ smartphones. Sephora would be able to engage with their customers in real time by delivering personalized alerts to shoppers’ mobile phones when they walk in the store, as they are currently planning to do (Thau, 2015). Additionally, Sephora could use the beacons to assist in their email marketing efforts by following-up with shoppers after their in-store experience to provide additional information or offers based on what products they were near during their visit. This provides another way for Sephora to collect and analyze data to better understand what their customers want and provide a more personalized experience for them. Sephora could further enhance and target their email marketing by segmenting their customers who are not Beauty Insider members by the type of products they offer. For example, they can place call-to-action (CTA) buttons on different pages of their website that pertain to product types. Let us say for those customers who are mainly interested in makeup, fragrances, skin care or nail products, they can click on those CTA buttons and opt-in to receive product information and offers on specifically those types of