Sephora Bets Big on Mobile Web

Count Sephora as the latest retailer to offer consumers a complete mobile web experience in advance of the October launch of its iPhone app. The beauty retailer unveiled its mobile shopping effort this week, positioning it as a “Beauty to Go” shopping tool just in time for the back-to-school/fall fashion frenzy.

When I interviewed Julie Bornstein, senior vice president at Sephora Direct, in May, she hinted that the brand was in the throes of planning a major mobile web initiative, saying, “Mobile presents huge opportunities from a retail perspective in-store.”

InsightExpress noted that 14% of US mobile users used their mobile phone in a store to take a picture of an item to send to a friend, while 5% made a purchase using their mobile phone.

The mobile site offers complete access to Beauty Insiders, Sephora’s loyalty program; the ability to purchase items directly from the handset; ratings and reviews; access to past purchase history; shopping lists; news on new products as they hit the shelves; links to Facebook; a GPS store locator; and news on store events.

When Sephora’s iPhone app launches in October, the retailer will debut holiday-oriented gift-giving promotions–one each day, according to Bornstein. “We’ll feature one great product we’re obsessed with under the banner Great Gift Ideas each day,” she said. Also coming: short videos from brand founders about why their brand/product makes a good gift. Using the app’s barcode scanner, shoppers using it in-store “will be able to do a bunch of things around the product—reviews, play the video, add the product to a shopping list,” she said.

Bornstein says she believes the app and the mobile website will appeal to a broad range of beauty shoppers—anywhere from age 20 to 60. The chain plans in-store, catalog and online promotion for the mobile site and app, as well as email to its Beauty Insider database.

Beauty junkies: Start your mobile engines, or at least rev your fingers.