Pandemic restrictions posed a challenge for Sephora DE’s brick-and-mortar business model, which relied heavily on in-store experiences.
But despite the closure of its physical stores, Sephora’s German branch was determined to win back customers by becoming more visible online—as a result, the company was able to keep business flowing, even after the easing of pandemic restrictions.
Here's how Sephora DE leveraged Uberall to engage with customers through reviews, local promos, and social postings.
Situation: Creating a Beauty Playground Offline AND Online
Sephora DE is your best friend when it comes to everything beauty. This glamorous beauty playground prides itself on providing fragrances, skincare, and other products to its diverse customer base—no matter age, gender, or style.
But with the start of the pandemic, customers could no longer visit local stores to browse lipstick colors or get a professional makeover. With tons of customers needing beauty advice and pandemic restrictions keeping everyone at home, Sephora DE knew it had to start prioritizing the digital customer experience.
Standing out on all-important sites like Google is the first step to driving online business. But even though many customers were looking up stores, leaving reviews, and asking questions, Sephora DE wasn’t doing much to expand its online presence.
How could the team attract customers online and keep them coming back, especially after brick-and-mortar stores reopened?
Solution: Crafting A Stunning Local Online Presence
The temporary closure of brick-and-mortar stores was the trigger for Sephora DE to make a move toward digital. And in a country like Germany, where digitalization is still lagging behind, this was a huge milestone for the beauty retailer.
A born and bred German platform, Uberall was one of the first tools Sephora DE adopted in its push toward digitalization.
Initially, Sephora DE used Uberall’s platform across its stores to communicate COVID-19 rules and regulations to customers across platforms like Google. Then, the team realized that its partnership with Uberall had the potential to go much further. Sephora stores across Germany began posting promotional offers, communicating rotating deals and local influencer events, engaging with customers, and cleaning up their listings images. Creating a unified customer experience across all main listings has been a game-changer for Sephora DE.
Now, the company has increased its visibility on not only Google but also all the important directories. Displaying accurate, store-specific information across platforms has allowed Sephora DE to increase its local visibility more than ever before.
Through offering click-to-collect options, digital skin diagnoses, customer loyalty programs, and more, Sephora DE made use of Uberall to launch a truly omnichannel marketing strategy. The company started to drive online traffic to its physical stores and back again, in the form of online reviews and purchases.
Developing a multi-channel marketing strategy with supportive, strategic tools like Uberall is key for Sephora DE. Tools like Uberall now allow the company to drive in-store traffic and close sales both online and in person. This full circle approach also has a local twist—each store is able to highlight its unique offers to engage nearby customers.
The Result: 33% Increase in Driving Directions
Business has been booming since Sephora first started taking advantage of Uberall’s platform. Over the two-year period from February 2020 to February 2022, Sephora DE has seen firsthand the impact of its revamped online presence, garnering a 33% increase in driving directions and a 137% increase in search views.
The 33% increase in driving directions represents a real performance increase for Sephora DE. It’s a sign that the retailer not only increased awareness and consideration via Uberall but also saw better conversion rates for new and returning customers.
The cherry on top is a 149% increase in direct queries, indicating stronger brand interest on the part of consumers. This is likely the result of a hallmark Sephora experience, one that follows the customer seamlessly across online and offline touchpoints.
It’s safe to say that the pandemic served as a turning point for Sephora DE. A renewed focus on digital presence has allowed the retailer to craft a stronger, more streamlined customer experience that will serve it well in an increasingly digital world.
Uberall helps support our omnichannel approach, making us future-proof in the uncertain world of digital marketing.
Best of all, using Uberall’s platform has given Sephora DE a strong competitive edge. Uberall helps Sephora DE stand out from the crowd and get chosen by customers time and time again. And the team has continued to lean into the tool because of its numerous advantages.
This positive change hasn’t gone unnoticed—the German branch of this multinational beauty retailer has set a new best-practice standard that is being adapted by other markets to drive traffic online and in-store, with the ultimate goal of boosting sales.
Over the coming weeks and months, Sephora DE expects impressions will only continue to grow, thanks to the increased visibility Uberall’s platform offers.
