Dive Brief:
- Sephora will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the U.S. with Sephoria, an immersive two-day beauty event on October 20-21 at The Majestic Downtown in Los Angeles, the company announced in a news release.
- "House of Beauty" is the theme for Sephoria, which will bring together consumers, beauty advisers and influencers. Guests can uncover a new beauty experience in interactive rooms with activities centered on some of Sephora's top brands. Visitors can create new looks, learn new techniques and try out new products. Advance tickets for the event, which features physical and digital experiences, will be available in July to Sephora's Beauty Insider Rouge and VIB loyalty members.
- The launch of Sephoria comes with a 360-degree marketing campaign kicking off this month. The retailer is collaborating with top beauty ambassadors for a social campaign, and some of these experts will be on hand during Sephoria. Fans can follow the conversation on social media with hashtag #Sephoria.
Dive Insight:
The Sephoria event is an example of how Sephora has been investing in innovative, immersive marketing strategies and building a community among its loyal fan base. The exclusivity of the event, with loyalty program members given priority for ticket sales, and the chance to engage with beauty influencers could be a draw for millennial consumers, who let experiences drive some of their purchases and look to influencers for recommendations. A Merkle and Levo study found that 72% of millennial women are happiest when they spend on experiences, and 62% are willing to try brands based on influencer recommendations.
The news follows on the heels of department stores Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's announcing plans to revamp their beauty departments, including by adding more interactive digital experiences, in an attempt to win over customers and amid on-going marketplace disruption by fast-growing direct-to-consumer beauty brands like Kylie, Glossier and others. Holding a two-day immersive event is one way Sephora can try to cement its leading role in beauty as competition heats up. Events like Sephoria are often highly Instagramable, with eye-catching visuals and unique interactions.
Instagram is a vital social network for beauty brands and enthusiasts, prompting the social network's recent launch of a beauty-focused partnership team to be a resource for the cosmetics industry. Sephora has been enhancing its Instagram presence as it looks for new ways to convert interactions on the platform into sales. The beauty retailer doubled the number of videos it posts on the platform last year, after creating an in-house content studio to produce videos and photo shoots and host media and influencers.
Last year, Sephora launched a mobile and online social platform for members only as part of an attempt to offer more authentic engagement opportunities. The "Beauty Insider Community" provides beauty recommendations and users can share their favorite looks and swap beauty tips.