Sephora has long been recognized as a leader in prestige beauty retail. Founded in France in the late 1960s, the brand introduced its now-famous open-selling concept that allowed shoppers to browse freely and test products across brands. Something unheard of in department store beauty counters of the time. When Sephora opened its first U.S. store in New York’s Soho district in 1998, the concept was still relatively unknown. “Back then, few people knew who we were, and many brands didn't want to work with us as a newcomer,” recalls Emmy Brown Berlind, Senior Vice President, General Manager of Loyalty at Sephora. “So, we really built our business on creativity, differentiation, and the belief that beauty should be fun and inclusive, and that commitment continues to shape how Sephora connects with its clients.”
That philosophy of inclusivity and discovery has powered Sephora’s rise into the leading prestige beauty retailer in North America, with more than 700 stores and a vibrant digital ecosystem. A critical part of that growth has been the Beauty Insider loyalty program, launched in 2007. “The launch of our Beauty Insider program was part of a key differentiation that we were able to introduce to the market which led to a lot of loyalty with our clients and continues to support the growth of the business,” Berlind explains.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome back to our Leaders in Customer Loyalty
series.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
It's a Thursday, so another edition of our Brand
Stories is on deck.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
It's great having you with us every Thursday.
Looking forward to today'sdiscussion.
Today we are going to befocusing on beauty, the ever and
rapidly changing beauty retailindustry.
Founded in France in the 1960s,sephora was one of the original
brands to pioneer the openselling concept.
They opened their first USstore in New York City and have
(00:32):
continued to set the pace,define direction and build deep
emotional connections withcustomers all within the beauty
industry.
The way people engage withbeauty continues to evolve,
driven by the desire to be theirbest selves.
Sephora has remained at theforefront.
Their customer loyalty program,aptly named beauty insider,
(00:54):
launched in 2007 and hascontinued to adapt to meet the
ever diversifying and everchanging and rapidly evolving
customer base.
With consumers engaging acrossa wide variety of beauty brands
and channels.
Sephora remains committed todelivering personalized
experiences and staying top ofmind.
(01:16):
Their passion for customerloyalty is evident in how they
evolve the program, expandproduct offerings and refine the
brand to meet the expectationsof today's beauty consumers.
In this episode, we're going tohear from Emmy Brown Berlin.
She's a Senior Vice Presidentand General Manager of Loyalty
(01:37):
at Sephora.
Emmy, thank you very much fortaking the time to join us today
.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'm doing well.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Absolutely Looking forward to the discussion.
Always interested in talking tosmart people about customer
loyalty, which should be themost important facet of
marketing, so this should be agreat discussion For those who
may not be familiar and I'm suremost everyone is.
Can you give us a briefintroduction to Sephora?
How know?
How was the company started?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Of course, yeah.
So Sephora was founded inFrance in the late 1960s with a
very innovative open sellingconcept.
At the time, you could reallyonly get prestige beauty
products in department stores.
You had to go to differentcounters to be able to try
different brands and differentproducts, and so this open
selling concept was reallyinnovative in allowing people to
(02:29):
browse and try whateverproducts they wanted without
kind of needing to talk to asalesperson.
And so today Sephora is theleading prestige beauty retailer
in North America, with morethan 700 stores across US and
Canada, plus a very vibrantonline and app shopping
experience.
We came to the US in 1998 withour first store in Soho, new
(02:52):
York City, and the open sellingconcept was kind of very well
regarded and people who shopthere loved that experience.
But you know, back then fewpeople knew who who we were, and
many brands didn't want to workwith us as a kind of a newcomer
.
So we really built our businesson creativity, differentiation
(03:12):
and the belief that beautyshould be fun and inclusive, and
that commitment to thatdiscovery process is still at
the heart of who we are todayand continues to shape how
Sephora connects with itsclients.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Okay, excellent.
And you look at the greatsuccess that Sephora connects
with its clients Okay, excellent.
And you look at the greatsuccess that Sephora has had,
you know what are a couple ofkey things that kind of
contributed to that success.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Well, I think you know all the amazing brands that
Sephora has incubated anddeveloped over the years is
obviously a huge part of why thebrand has been, how we've been
successful as a retailer.
And then also, I would, youknow, say that the launch of our
Beauty Insider program in 2007was part of a key
differentiation that we wereable to introduce to the market
(03:55):
then that you know, led to a lotof loyalty with our clients and
continued to, you know, supportthe growth of the business.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Okay, continue to support the growth of the
business.
Okay, you were kind ofappointed Senior Vice President
in 2023.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about the new role, kind of
what you do as kind of thegeneral manager of loyalty at
Sephora, which is an awesometitle, and also we'd love to
know more about how you got intothe role.
How'd you get into customerloyalty?
(04:23):
It's not something thateveryone always focuses on as a
career, but those who doobviously have a deep passion
for it.
So we'd love to know a coupleof things.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah, sure.
So you know I stepped into thisrole as SVP in 2023.
And so I oversee our BeautyInsider Loyalty Program.
Our omni-channel promotionsthat we run because you know
most of those promotions, youneed to be a Beauty Insider
Loyalty Program.
Our omni-channel promotionsthat we run because you know
most of those promotions, youneed to be a Beauty Insider to
participate in them.
The Sephora Credit Card Programand our Sampling Strategy.
So, and my focus is really oncontinuing to grow our more than
(04:58):
44 million member base andfinding new and innovative ways
to keep that community engagedand also continuing to have the
program be exciting so that newpeople want to join.
I joined Sephora in 2015, andI've been really lucky enough to
work a lot across a lot ofdifferent parts of the business,
(05:20):
from starting, you know,focusing on sampling programs
and then leading our socialorganic content strategy and
debuting the first Sephora squad, our influencer program.
And each role that I've had hasgiven me like a deeper
connection to the Sephora clientand how to connect with them to
make sure that we're keepingSephora top of mind, and so
(05:42):
that's why this role reallyappealed to me is to really lead
the thinking on how to deepenthat connection, make sure that
people stay engaged and excitedabout Sephora.
So that's really what drives meand why I was really interested
in stepping into this role.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
That's awesome and Loyalty360 has a pretty
significant member community wemeet.
Talk about different challengesand opportunities in customer
loyalty, how it's viewed withinthe organization, how customers
view it.
You talk about keeping yourcustomers engaged.
Can you talk about a little bitwhat that means and kind of how
that challenge presents itselfand how Sephora is in kind of
(06:19):
addressing it?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, I mean I think we want to make sure that we're
continuing to foster anemotional.
Really, what we really feel isimportant is that, you know,
loyalty is about making theperson feel like we know you and
kind of understand what youwant from us and then providing
access to important benefits.
So our customers we know theyvalue convenience, they want to
(07:10):
feel like they're getting avalue from the program and also
having experiences that feeltailored to them.
So I think that's what we tryto kind of always combine is how
are we, as part of the program,delivering this kind of
combination of value,convenience and experiences that
is uniquely tied to Sephora?
That then will hopefully keepon bringing clients back.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Okay, you talked a little bit about personalization
, personalized approach.
You have obviously a great kindof brand, lots of emotional
connection to the brand.
When you look at elevating thecustomer experience, what are
you doing with regard to kind ofmulti-channel or looking at the
kind of the retail industryholistically, because there are
(07:56):
some changes within the industrycorrect, how individuals are
buying from brands and the kindof beauty and how are you
looking at the changes and stillfocusing on the personalization
?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think what we, what we're trying to
do in terms of how people shop,is making sure that they have a
variety of options that they canchoose from.
So we're leaning into theseomni-channel services, such as
same day delivery or buy onlineor pick up in store, and
allowing that people or peoplewhich want to have it shipped to
(08:29):
them, and a key part of one ofthe benefits of our program is
that you, if you're a BeautyInsider member, you can get free
shipping, with no minimum.
So we're trying to make surethat we're offering our clients
all the different ways they wantto be able to shop with us, to
make it as frictionless aspossible, and that also includes
you know how they want to pay,so whether it's a Sephora credit
(08:49):
card, sephora gift cards, whichare also kind of a popular gift
item, and then launching newpayment methods like Venmo.
So we're trying to make sure,as a company, that you know that
she's being given as muchflexibility in as her experience
, in addition to offering, youknow, personalization in terms
(09:12):
of showing relevant beauty,relevant promotional offers to
our clients when they'reshopping our site based upon you
know, their preferences in thepast.
So things like that all combinetogether in terms of how we're
making the experience as kind oftailored to the client as we
possibly can.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
You mentioned kind of how people want to pay.
It was an interestingdiscussion we had with some
members of Local 360 last weekjust about buy now, pay later
and how that's taking off inretail.
Right, you would never thinkthat buying a 1099 or 2999 piece
of lipstick would actually besomething you put on a buy now,
pay later, but it's somethingthat it's taking off.
(09:50):
Is that something you're seeingas well?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Absolutely yes.
I mean we have a number of buynow, pay later options available
to our clients and wedefinitely have seen the usage
of those increase quite a bit.
And I think you know, again,it's to the point of you know
sometimes you want to make alarger purchase and then that
you want to stretch thosepayments over a number of months
(10:12):
and I think that's just part ofkind of what we're trying to
offer in terms of you know,making sure we're staying
relevant in the industry and youknow, meeting her and our
clients where they want to beand how they want to pay.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, that's definitely kind of a very
consistent theme over the lastfew years meeting them, the
customer, male, female, whoevermay be in the channel they want
to engage in, and also with themessage and the offer and the
relevance that many brandsstruggle with.
But obviously you guys do anamazing job.
When you look at value, it's abig discussion right now within
(10:47):
the community.
How does the organization findvalue in the program?
Do the customers find value inthe program?
Do the customers find value inthe program?
Are they looking for differentvalue, as in discounts or offers
to kind of help them getthrough maybe some of this
economic uncertainty?
What are you seeing aroundvalue and maybe some economic
kind of headwinds that may bepresenting themselves?
(11:08):
Is that something you'rehearing more from your customers
about?
This whole idea of value bepresenting?
Speaker 2 (11:11):
themselves.
Is that something you'rehearing more from your customers
about this whole idea of value?
Yes, we definitely are.
I think we've known for anumber of years that value is
extremely important to ourcustomers, and so we have tried
to deliver that value in avariety of ways and we try to
make sure that that value isreally integrated into the
Beauty Insider offering.
So one thing I mentionedearlier is the value of free
(11:34):
shipping with no minimum.
We know that that's somethingthat is extremely valuable to
our clients.
And then again, like offeringthose omni-convenience options
like buy a line and pick up instore, is also kind of another
way to offer value.
But then we're also trying tooffer value in gamified
experiences as well, so that, uh, we have these beauty insider
(11:56):
challenges that clients can, youknow, uh, take actions and then
they earn extra points to beable to, um, use for redeeming
in the rewards bazaar or, ifthey've completed all the
actions and the challenge, theyhave enough points that they are
able to use those points for$10 off on a subsequent purchase
.
And so we are trying to makesure that it becomes easier for
(12:20):
people to access the value thatalready exists in the program by
offering these new ways forthem to earn points points.
The one thing that we are alsoworking on is, you know, we have
a lot of different ways thatpeople can get value out of our
program.
You know, redeeming for samples,redeeming their points for
other rewards and making surethat people are aware of all
(12:44):
those ways that they can delivervalue is definitely something
that we're working really hardon right now.
So that because we, because weknow it's so important to
people- yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
We just had a call with one of our members and we
were talking about value butalso kind of simplicity in the
program.
Right, so making sure that itresonates with the customers and
they can understand the kind ofthe different reward options
that they have, but also doingin a way that, as you mentioned
earlier, right channel righttime, right content.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
So I think there's kind of a balance to that, I
would assume correct.
Yeah, that's definitely true,and I think also making it,
making something that's easy toexplain by our beauty advisors
in the store too, is animportant element that we think
about also, so that you knowwe're appropriately messaging
the benefits of the program in away that people can understand
easily you know if they read itonline or if they just are
talked to about it in a liveinteraction too.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Absolutely so.
When you look at some of thechanges, obviously you can earn
points in different ways fornon-transactional behavior,
which is good because it keepsthem engaged with the brand,
allows them to meet that rewardthreshold a little earlier.
When you look at some of thechanging behaviors beauty,
economic, whatever it may be howdo you kind of keep ahead of
(14:00):
these shifting or potentiallyshifting behaviors on the
customer side?
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Well, I mean, I think that we're constantly listening
to our clients in terms of whatthey want from us, and we are
trying to evolve and adjustbased upon what they're telling
us, you know, because really,our clients are really at the
center of everything we do, and,and so that we are we're always
(14:27):
trying to listen to them, likeyou know, conduct research to be
able to evolve the program.
I think one of the things thatwe've also really found is that
to stay ahead of what our mostvaluable clients are, which are
Rouge clients, you know, andthey are extremely important to
us, and so we know that, andthey also know that they expect
(14:50):
from us because of the loyaltythey've shown to us.
And so, you know, as some of thethings that we've done to kind
of continue to stay ahead andmeet their needs are, you know,
things like introducing the Rooscelebration event that we did a
couple weeks, like last weekendor maybe 10 days ago now
weekend or maybe 10 days ago nowand we had it last year.
(15:14):
We heard feedback from ourclients and so then we added
additional things this year.
We added a points multiplierover the weekend that they could
participate in.
We had a limited edition DagnyDover phone sling bag with a
minimum purchase.
But we also offered morerichness in the credit card
rewards as well 12% back, sothat our Rouges could kind of
(15:38):
combine all of these differentgreat benefits over the weekend
to kind of show that weappreciate them and that we
value all of their you knowloyalty to us, in addition to
kind of offering you know Rougeonly product drops, which we
know that they're very excitedabout, and and special
experiences, like like virtualmasterclasses with some of our,
(16:01):
our brand founders.
So that will all of thosethings together.
I think we were kind of we webuilt upon what we did last year
and learned and improved, andand so that's really how we stay
ahead is because we're alwaystrying to think about and listen
and learn from what our clientsare telling us.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
When you look at kind of the aspirational perks you
talked about, the higher leveltiers and the rouge tier, more
rewarding there's a balance withthat as well, right.
Aspirational everyone wants toget people to kind of move up
their different tiers.
Some brands are seeing kind ofsome tier malaise in the higher
tiers, right, and what can theydo?
Something that comes out ofCOVID right, when they weren't
(16:38):
meeting the tiers, you set it upand it's a pretty big
discussion right now.
But how do you make sure thatthe tiers work?
Because that's a prettysignificant challenge for brands
right now is making sure thesetiers are aligned.
Getting back to that valuediscussion, getting back to that
alignment discussion.
How do you do that with such aplumb?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I think that we are always making sure that there's
elements of the program that areaccessible for everyone, so
that it there's, so that becomesa reason to join the program in
the first place, and that thatfirst yeah, that first kind of
entry point that we know isreally really important to that
is actually the birthday gift.
(17:17):
And so I think, if you liketalking about how we structured
that program actually, you know,goes to your question actually
quite directly, because what wehave a birthday gift that's
available to everyone, that arethese amazing products from the
brands that we sell.
We have a birthday gift that'savailable to everyone that are
these amazing products from thebrands that we sell, and then we
have a special selection ofbirthday gifts that are only
(17:37):
available to our VIB and Rougeclients.
Again, so we're making surethat there's this balance
between what's available foreveryone, but then making sure
that our Rouges and VIB clientsknow that we value their loyalty
.
We value kind of VIB clients areknow that they, we value their
loyalty, we value kind of theirthe extra stuff that we know
that they want, by offering themthis kind of special portion of
(17:58):
the birthday gift program thatonly they can redeem for it in
the, in the quarter that it'savailable.
So that's, I think, an exampleof how we try to balance it, by
having things that are arealways kind of they, they're
graduated so that there issomething that's, you know,
available to everybody, but thenit becomes additions to that
(18:19):
benefit.
Then benefit the higher tiersAbsolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Hope that answered your question.
Yeah, no, that's great.
I think that it's kind of astrong response, kind of looking
at customers, and you evenmentioned, when you talked about
listening to your customersright and using that to shape,
kind of the program, the value,the direction of the program.
You know you've evolved theprogram pretty significantly
over the years.
(18:43):
You talked about some of thosechanges earlier.
But brands often don't usefeedback in a way to drive some
of that change right.
It's oftentimes given lipservice with the right oh, we're
listening to our customers,right, we're changing, we're
doing things differently butoftentimes it's not and
oftentimes the customers may begiving you feedback that the
brands may be receiving,feedback that they're not
(19:03):
actioning on or even respondingto.
So I think that's imperative.
You guys, as a brand, do apretty solid job with regard to
evolving the program.
It's an award-winning programlistening to the customers.
What is the key there?
How are you doing that so wellwhen you listen to and evolve
the program based on feedback?
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I mean, I think the key is being willing to take
action against something thatpeople are telling you, you know
.
I think another example oflistening to that feedback is
that we, recently, we launchedthe ability to redeem 500 points
for $10 off in 2021 2021, Ibelieve it was yeah and, and we
(19:52):
heard after, since that waslaunched, that people that p, as
like our more loyal clients,especially our rouges, wanted to
be able to stack that to beable to, you know, use more
points to then get a greaterdiscount.
Um, and and.
So this year we launched thatability for rouges to have them
be able to use a thousand pointsor twenty dollars off again.
(20:13):
To kind of taking that feedbackand being willing to take that
action.
I think is is key to being ableto evolve and stay relevant.
Is is kind of making sure thatthe organization is ready to
incorporate what you're hearingand make the changes that are
that are required incorporatewhat you're hearing and then
make the changes that arerequired.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Excellent, you talked about it a little bit.
The beauty industry, retail ingeneral, is changing right From
expectations to how you engagewith it free shipping,
potentially different paymentmechanisms.
You talked about how customersare changing.
Where do you see it goingforward?
How do you see kind of thebeauty industry, the retail
industry, continuing to changeand evolve?
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I mean, I think obviously you know the how we
think about using AI in beautyis is is definitely going to be
a big change on the horizon.
You know, one of the ways thatSephora has been really
successfully incorporating thatis in a tool that we have called
the Skin Scan, which combines atool that was called Color IQ
(21:18):
with a digital skincare scan, soyou're able to use this tool in
our stores and then it shadematches you so you know exactly
what shade of foundation youshould get, but then also gives
you a a tailored productrecommendation based upon your
skin type too, and so that notonly enables a more personalized
experience, but it's using thisintelligence and to help really
(21:41):
guide the the the purchaseprocess for our clients, because
what we also have heard is thatsometimes beauty can feel a
little bit overwhelming becausethere's so many different
options available to you.
So this is like using this AIpowered tool is a great way to
ensure that people are beingable to kind of be better guided
(22:01):
in a very, very personalizedway to create more convenience
for the client, but then alsoreally kind of an inclusive,
accurate beauty experience.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Okay, and AI is obviously something that's at
the top of mind for all brandsand we do a state of customer
loyalty paper, every researchpaper of our members.
I'll send that to you.
But AI it seems like recentlyit's definitely evolving.
Brands have kind of an approach, a perspective.
There's definitely somechallenges with regard to
anonymizing data.
Do you use a clean room processto kind of run the platform, or
(22:37):
using a chat, or you know moreof a kind of traditionally known
AI platform, or can you buildit out yourselves?
Access to that data isobviously very important,
especially with 44 millionhighly engaged customers.
You don't want a challenge orkind of a breach in any way,
shape or form.
When you look at AI, you knowhow do you see that going
(22:59):
forward.
You talked about it a littlebit.
Are there challenges oropportunities you see with AI,
either from a privacyperspective, or is it going to
get the message right, which issomething we hear pretty
consistently?
Is it?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
going to get the message right, which is
something we hear prettyconsistently.
Yeah, I mean, I think thatSephora is very carefully and
strategically thinking about howwe want to incorporate AI into
the beauty journey and I thinkit's still super early days, but
you know, the privacy of ourclients and making sure that the
results that they're getting isvery, that is, as accurate and
(23:33):
correct, is very, very importantto us, and so we are thinking,
we are making sure that anydevelopment we do kind of ties
back to that core tenant ofinclusivity and being able to
accurately help them findwhatever beauty they want to
find, so that, I think, is kindof our North star overall.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
That's awesome.
When you look at the programholistically, what are two or
three things you're most proudof with regard to the program?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
I mean, first, I would say the birthday gift
program is a huge undertakingevery year to to be able to
offer amazing gifts.
And you know I personally alwayslove redeeming my birthday gift
each year and I think also youknow the variety of options
(24:22):
available to be redeemed in therewards bazaar is so fun just to
be able to use that to be ableto discover your next favorite
product.
We hear that a lot from ourclients that they love redeeming
their points to be able to trya new product to see if they're
going to want to buy the fullsize in the future.
And then, lastly, I would sayyou know our biannual savings
(24:43):
events that we have twice eachyear.
Just being able to have thisamazing discount available for
our beauty insiders to be ableto have them, you know, gift,
use them for gifts or use themto kind of, you know, buy
something that they've beenhoping to be able to buy and
unlocking that amazing you knowkind of better access to all of
(25:06):
the brands that we offer is alsosomething that's a huge
cross-functional effort acrossthe whole organization that I'm
really proud of Decided that weare continuing to be able to
offer it for our clients.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
And the last question , somewhat self-serving what can
Loyalty360 do to help you andyour team with your customer
loyalty program?
Customer loyalty journey.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
I mean I think that the role that you play with
bringing together loyaltyleaders across the industry and
enabling us to share insightsand best practices is a huge
help to us and kind of how welearn about new ways of thinking
around loyalty.
And so, at First of Four, beingpart of that community really
(25:51):
helps us stay informed and be ontop of emerging trends, and
that's really critical as wecontinue to wanting to evolve
and improve our program.
And so, like I'm really lookingforward to staying engaged with
Loyalty360 and continuing tolearn from other leaders to
deliver a truly exceptionalexperience for our clients.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
That's awesome.
Well, now we have the wonderfulquickfire round of questions.
We'd like to get them to ashort phrase or a couple of
words.
Okay, what is your favoriteword?
Speaker 2 (26:24):
This is a little bit of a strange one, but it's
prepuscular.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I know that one.
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
It means it's animals that tend to hunt at dawn and
dusk, which I think is just kindof a.
It's just a fun, a fun word tosay.
So I think it's a little bit ofa that's.
That's one of my favorite words.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Oh yeah, I didn't have it, but that's good.
I like using big words as well.
So what is your least favoriteword that others use?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I don't know if this isn't like a word, but I always,
I never, I'm like, I'm kind offrustrated when people say it is
what it is, because that is alittle bit of a defeatist
statement in my opinion.
And then, as I mentioned, likeSephora is all about creativity
and innovation and disruptive,and I and I think we believe
there's always a solution to aproblem, so I I don't love when
(27:19):
people just say it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Okay, that's going to make a joke and say, but I
won't.
What excites you?
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I love solving problems, so it excites me to
help.
You know, finding somethingthat might be a problem or issue
for our clients and figuringout how do we, how do we deliver
a solution to that Like that.
That's always very exciting tome.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Okay, and what do you find tiresome?
Speaker 2 (27:49):
I think you know, I think you know things that are
overly, things that seem tedious, that are kind of rote, and you
have it again and again andagain like that.
That's something that doesn'texcite me very much.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Okay Me either.
And again, like that, that'ssomething that doesn't excite me
very much.
Okay Me either.
Uniqueness is always awesome,at least in more invigorating
yeah Well, is there a book thatyou've read that you're a big
fan of, that you'd like torecommend to colleagues?
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Um, I, I love you know, I think good to great is a
great book.
Um and uh, and so I always lovethat book.
So that's one that I think I'verecommended a number of times.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Okay, is there a profession under the one that
you currently have that youwould maybe like to attempt?
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Um, maybe like teaching in the future that I, a
lot of my um husband's family,are teachers and that's
something that you know.
I think it would be fun, likeit'd be really interesting, to
see if I could help other peoplein that way in the future.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Okay, I mean, is there something that you enjoy
doing, a passion, a hobby thatyou don't often get as much time
to do?
Speaker 2 (29:04):
I love singing, so I've always loved singing all my
life, and so I would love and Iwish that I had more time to
sing with others.
I was in an acapella group incollege and so I would love to
sing more, I guess.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Who inspired you to become the person you are today.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
My grandfather was very inspirational for me, the
way that he lived his life andhe was very dedicated to kind of
thinking bigger picture thanjust himself, and so that's
that's definitely been aninspiration for me.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
That's awesome.
That's mine as well.
What do you typically thinkabout the end of the day?
Speaker 2 (29:39):
What's going to happen tomorrow?
It's mostly what I'm thinkingahead as a as a working mother.
There's always like the nextthing you have to do.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
And last question how thing youhave to do?
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Uh, and last question how doyou want to be remembered by
your friends and family?
Speaker 2 (29:55):
um someone who, uh, you know, lived their life with
empathy and and was loving and,I guess, loved by others that's
awesome.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Well, amy, thank you very much for taking time to
speak with us today.
It was a pleasure uh speakingwith you.
It's always good uh to seesomeone who has great passion
for the industry and the job andtheir customers.
We often don't always get that,and so it definitely was
resonant with you, so thank youvery much for being an
inspiration.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
It was really great to talkwith you.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Absolutely, and thank you everyone for listening.
Make sure you join us backevery Thursday for the next
edition of our Leaders inCustomer Loyalty series.
Until then, have a wonderfulday.
Welcome back to our Leaders in Customer Loyalty
series.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
It's a Thursday, so another edition of our Brand
Stories is on deck.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
It's great having you with us every Thursday.
Looking forward to today'sdiscussion.
Today we are going to befocusing on beauty, the ever and
rapidly changing beauty retailindustry.
Founded in France in the 1960s,sephora was one of the original
brands to pioneer the openselling concept.
They opened their first USstore in New York City and have
(00:32):
continued to set the pace,define direction and build deep
emotional connections withcustomers all within the beauty
industry.
The way people engage withbeauty continues to evolve,
driven by the desire to be theirbest selves.
Sephora has remained at theforefront.
Their customer loyalty program,aptly named beauty insider,
(00:54):
launched in 2007 and hascontinued to adapt to meet the
ever diversifying and everchanging and rapidly evolving
customer base.
With consumers engaging acrossa wide variety of beauty brands
and channels.
Sephora remains committed todelivering personalized
experiences and staying top ofmind.
(01:16):
Their passion for customerloyalty is evident in how they
evolve the program, expandproduct offerings and refine the
brand to meet the expectationsof today's beauty consumers.
In this episode, we're going tohear from Emmy Brown Berlin.
She's a Senior Vice Presidentand General Manager of Loyalty
(01:37):
at Sephora.
Emmy, thank you very much fortaking the time to join us today
.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'm doing well.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Absolutely Looking forward to the discussion.
Always interested in talking tosmart people about customer
loyalty, which should be themost important facet of
marketing, so this should be agreat discussion For those who
may not be familiar and I'm suremost everyone is.
Can you give us a briefintroduction to Sephora?
How know?
How was the company started?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Of course, yeah.
So Sephora was founded inFrance in the late 1960s with a
very innovative open sellingconcept.
At the time, you could reallyonly get prestige beauty
products in department stores.
You had to go to differentcounters to be able to try
different brands and differentproducts, and so this open
selling concept was reallyinnovative in allowing people to
(02:29):
browse and try whateverproducts they wanted without
kind of needing to talk to asalesperson.
And so today Sephora is theleading prestige beauty retailer
in North America, with morethan 700 stores across US and
Canada, plus a very vibrantonline and app shopping
experience.
We came to the US in 1998 withour first store in Soho, new
(02:52):
York City, and the open sellingconcept was kind of very well
regarded and people who shopthere loved that experience.
But you know, back then fewpeople knew who who we were, and
many brands didn't want to workwith us as a kind of a newcomer
.
So we really built our businesson creativity, differentiation
(03:12):
and the belief that beautyshould be fun and inclusive, and
that commitment to thatdiscovery process is still at
the heart of who we are todayand continues to shape how
Sephora connects with itsclients.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Okay, excellent.
And you look at the greatsuccess that Sephora connects
with its clients Okay, excellent.
And you look at the greatsuccess that Sephora has had,
you know what are a couple ofkey things that kind of
contributed to that success.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Well, I think you know all the amazing brands that
Sephora has incubated anddeveloped over the years is
obviously a huge part of why thebrand has been, how we've been
successful as a retailer.
And then also, I would, youknow, say that the launch of our
Beauty Insider program in 2007was part of a key
differentiation that we wereable to introduce to the market
(03:55):
then that you know, led to a lotof loyalty with our clients and
continued to, you know, supportthe growth of the business.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Okay, continue to support the growth of the
business.
Okay, you were kind ofappointed Senior Vice President
in 2023.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about the new role, kind of
what you do as kind of thegeneral manager of loyalty at
Sephora, which is an awesometitle, and also we'd love to
know more about how you got intothe role.
How'd you get into customerloyalty?
(04:23):
It's not something thateveryone always focuses on as a
career, but those who doobviously have a deep passion
for it.
So we'd love to know a coupleof things.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah, sure.
So you know I stepped into thisrole as SVP in 2023.
And so I oversee our BeautyInsider Loyalty Program.
Our omni-channel promotionsthat we run because you know
most of those promotions, youneed to be a Beauty Insider
Loyalty Program.
Our omni-channel promotionsthat we run because you know
most of those promotions, youneed to be a Beauty Insider to
participate in them.
The Sephora Credit Card Programand our Sampling Strategy.
So, and my focus is really oncontinuing to grow our more than
(04:58):
44 million member base andfinding new and innovative ways
to keep that community engagedand also continuing to have the
program be exciting so that newpeople want to join.
I joined Sephora in 2015, andI've been really lucky enough to
work a lot across a lot ofdifferent parts of the business,
(05:20):
from starting, you know,focusing on sampling programs
and then leading our socialorganic content strategy and
debuting the first Sephora squad, our influencer program.
And each role that I've had hasgiven me like a deeper
connection to the Sephora clientand how to connect with them to
make sure that we're keepingSephora top of mind, and so
(05:42):
that's why this role reallyappealed to me is to really lead
the thinking on how to deepenthat connection, make sure that
people stay engaged and excitedabout Sephora.
So that's really what drives meand why I was really interested
in stepping into this role.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
That's awesome and Loyalty360 has a pretty
significant member community wemeet.
Talk about different challengesand opportunities in customer
loyalty, how it's viewed withinthe organization, how customers
view it.
You talk about keeping yourcustomers engaged.
Can you talk about a little bitwhat that means and kind of how
that challenge presents itselfand how Sephora is in kind of
(06:19):
addressing it?
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, I mean I think we want to make sure that we're
continuing to foster anemotional.
Really, what we really feel isimportant is that, you know,
loyalty is about making theperson feel like we know you and
kind of understand what youwant from us and then providing
access to important benefits.
So our customers we know theyvalue convenience, they want to
(07:10):
feel like they're getting avalue from the program and also
having experiences that feeltailored to them.
So I think that's what we tryto kind of always combine is how
are we, as part of the program,delivering this kind of
combination of value,convenience and experiences that
is uniquely tied to Sephora?
That then will hopefully keepon bringing clients back.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Okay, you talked a little bit about personalization
, personalized approach.
You have obviously a great kindof brand, lots of emotional
connection to the brand.
When you look at elevating thecustomer experience, what are
you doing with regard to kind ofmulti-channel or looking at the
kind of the retail industryholistically, because there are
(07:56):
some changes within the industrycorrect, how individuals are
buying from brands and the kindof beauty and how are you
looking at the changes and stillfocusing on the personalization
?
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Yeah, I mean, I think what we, what we're trying to
do in terms of how people shop,is making sure that they have a
variety of options that they canchoose from.
So we're leaning into theseomni-channel services, such as
same day delivery or buy onlineor pick up in store, and
allowing that people or peoplewhich want to have it shipped to
(08:29):
them, and a key part of one ofthe benefits of our program is
that you, if you're a BeautyInsider member, you can get free
shipping, with no minimum.
So we're trying to make surethat we're offering our clients
all the different ways they wantto be able to shop with us, to
make it as frictionless aspossible, and that also includes
you know how they want to pay,so whether it's a Sephora credit
(08:49):
card, sephora gift cards, whichare also kind of a popular gift
item, and then launching newpayment methods like Venmo.
So we're trying to make sure,as a company, that you know that
she's being given as muchflexibility in as her experience
, in addition to offering, youknow, personalization in terms
(09:12):
of showing relevant beauty,relevant promotional offers to
our clients when they'reshopping our site based upon you
know, their preferences in thepast.
So things like that all combinetogether in terms of how we're
making the experience as kind oftailored to the client as we
possibly can.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
You mentioned kind of how people want to pay.
It was an interestingdiscussion we had with some
members of Local 360 last weekjust about buy now, pay later
and how that's taking off inretail.
Right, you would never thinkthat buying a 1099 or 2999 piece
of lipstick would actually besomething you put on a buy now,
pay later, but it's somethingthat it's taking off.
(09:50):
Is that something you're seeingas well?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Absolutely yes.
I mean we have a number of buynow, pay later options available
to our clients and wedefinitely have seen the usage
of those increase quite a bit.
And I think you know, again,it's to the point of you know
sometimes you want to make alarger purchase and then that
you want to stretch thosepayments over a number of months
(10:12):
and I think that's just part ofkind of what we're trying to
offer in terms of you know,making sure we're staying
relevant in the industry and youknow, meeting her and our
clients where they want to beand how they want to pay.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, that's definitely kind of a very
consistent theme over the lastfew years meeting them, the
customer, male, female, whoevermay be in the channel they want
to engage in, and also with themessage and the offer and the
relevance that many brandsstruggle with.
But obviously you guys do anamazing job.
When you look at value, it's abig discussion right now within
(10:47):
the community.
How does the organization findvalue in the program?
Do the customers find value inthe program?
Do the customers find value inthe program?
Are they looking for differentvalue, as in discounts or offers
to kind of help them getthrough maybe some of this
economic uncertainty?
What are you seeing aroundvalue and maybe some economic
kind of headwinds that may bepresenting themselves?
(11:08):
Is that something you'rehearing more from your customers
about?
This whole idea of value bepresenting?
Speaker 2 (11:11):
themselves.
Is that something you'rehearing more from your customers
about this whole idea of value?
Yes, we definitely are.
I think we've known for anumber of years that value is
extremely important to ourcustomers, and so we have tried
to deliver that value in avariety of ways and we try to
make sure that that value isreally integrated into the
Beauty Insider offering.
So one thing I mentionedearlier is the value of free
(11:34):
shipping with no minimum.
We know that that's somethingthat is extremely valuable to
our clients.
And then again, like offeringthose omni-convenience options
like buy a line and pick up instore, is also kind of another
way to offer value.
But then we're also trying tooffer value in gamified
experiences as well, so that, uh, we have these beauty insider
(11:56):
challenges that clients can, youknow, uh, take actions and then
they earn extra points to beable to, um, use for redeeming
in the rewards bazaar or, ifthey've completed all the
actions and the challenge, theyhave enough points that they are
able to use those points for$10 off on a subsequent purchase
.
And so we are trying to makesure that it becomes easier for
(12:20):
people to access the value thatalready exists in the program by
offering these new ways forthem to earn points points.
The one thing that we are alsoworking on is, you know, we have
a lot of different ways thatpeople can get value out of our
program.
You know, redeeming for samples,redeeming their points for
other rewards and making surethat people are aware of all
(12:44):
those ways that they can delivervalue is definitely something
that we're working really hardon right now.
So that because we, because weknow it's so important to
people- yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
We just had a call with one of our members and we
were talking about value butalso kind of simplicity in the
program.
Right, so making sure that itresonates with the customers and
they can understand the kind ofthe different reward options
that they have, but also doingin a way that, as you mentioned
earlier, right channel righttime, right content.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
So I think there's kind of a balance to that, I
would assume correct.
Yeah, that's definitely true,and I think also making it,
making something that's easy toexplain by our beauty advisors
in the store too, is animportant element that we think
about also, so that you knowwe're appropriately messaging
the benefits of the program in away that people can understand
easily you know if they read itonline or if they just are
talked to about it in a liveinteraction too.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Absolutely so.
When you look at some of thechanges, obviously you can earn
points in different ways fornon-transactional behavior,
which is good because it keepsthem engaged with the brand,
allows them to meet that rewardthreshold a little earlier.
When you look at some of thechanging behaviors beauty,
economic, whatever it may be howdo you kind of keep ahead of
(14:00):
these shifting or potentiallyshifting behaviors on the
customer side?
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Well, I mean, I think that we're constantly listening
to our clients in terms of whatthey want from us, and we are
trying to evolve and adjustbased upon what they're telling
us, you know, because really,our clients are really at the
center of everything we do, and,and so that we are we're always
(14:27):
trying to listen to them, likeyou know, conduct research to be
able to evolve the program.
I think one of the things thatwe've also really found is that
to stay ahead of what our mostvaluable clients are, which are
Rouge clients, you know, andthey are extremely important to
us, and so we know that, andthey also know that they expect
(14:50):
from us because of the loyaltythey've shown to us.
And so, you know, as some of thethings that we've done to kind
of continue to stay ahead andmeet their needs are, you know,
things like introducing the Rooscelebration event that we did a
couple weeks, like last weekendor maybe 10 days ago now
weekend or maybe 10 days ago nowand we had it last year.
(15:14):
We heard feedback from ourclients and so then we added
additional things this year.
We added a points multiplierover the weekend that they could
participate in.
We had a limited edition DagnyDover phone sling bag with a
minimum purchase.
But we also offered morerichness in the credit card
rewards as well 12% back, sothat our Rouges could kind of
(15:38):
combine all of these differentgreat benefits over the weekend
to kind of show that weappreciate them and that we
value all of their you knowloyalty to us, in addition to
kind of offering you know Rougeonly product drops, which we
know that they're very excitedabout, and and special
experiences, like like virtualmasterclasses with some of our,
(16:01):
our brand founders.
So that will all of thosethings together.
I think we were kind of we webuilt upon what we did last year
and learned and improved, andand so that's really how we stay
ahead is because we're alwaystrying to think about and listen
and learn from what our clientsare telling us.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
When you look at kind of the aspirational perks you
talked about, the higher leveltiers and the rouge tier, more
rewarding there's a balance withthat as well, right.
Aspirational everyone wants toget people to kind of move up
their different tiers.
Some brands are seeing kind ofsome tier malaise in the higher
tiers, right, and what can theydo?
Something that comes out ofCOVID right, when they weren't
(16:38):
meeting the tiers, you set it upand it's a pretty big
discussion right now.
But how do you make sure thatthe tiers work?
Because that's a prettysignificant challenge for brands
right now is making sure thesetiers are aligned.
Getting back to that valuediscussion, getting back to that
alignment discussion.
How do you do that with such aplumb?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I think that we are always making sure that there's
elements of the program that areaccessible for everyone, so
that it there's, so that becomesa reason to join the program in
the first place, and that thatfirst yeah, that first kind of
entry point that we know isreally really important to that
is actually the birthday gift.
(17:17):
And so I think, if you liketalking about how we structured
that program actually, you know,goes to your question actually
quite directly, because what wehave a birthday gift that's
available to everyone, that arethese amazing products from the
brands that we sell.
We have a birthday gift that'savailable to everyone that are
these amazing products from thebrands that we sell, and then we
have a special selection ofbirthday gifts that are only
(17:37):
available to our VIB and Rougeclients.
Again, so we're making surethat there's this balance
between what's available foreveryone, but then making sure
that our Rouges and VIB clientsknow that we value their loyalty
.
We value kind of VIB clients areknow that they, we value their
loyalty, we value kind of theirthe extra stuff that we know
that they want, by offering themthis kind of special portion of
(17:58):
the birthday gift program thatonly they can redeem for it in
the, in the quarter that it'savailable.
So that's, I think, an exampleof how we try to balance it, by
having things that are arealways kind of they, they're
graduated so that there issomething that's, you know,
available to everybody, but thenit becomes additions to that
(18:19):
benefit.
Then benefit the higher tiersAbsolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Hope that answered your question.
Yeah, no, that's great.
I think that it's kind of astrong response, kind of looking
at customers, and you evenmentioned, when you talked about
listening to your customersright and using that to shape,
kind of the program, the value,the direction of the program.
You know you've evolved theprogram pretty significantly
over the years.
(18:43):
You talked about some of thosechanges earlier.
But brands often don't usefeedback in a way to drive some
of that change right.
It's oftentimes given lipservice with the right oh, we're
listening to our customers,right, we're changing, we're
doing things differently butoftentimes it's not and
oftentimes the customers may begiving you feedback that the
brands may be receiving,feedback that they're not
(19:03):
actioning on or even respondingto.
So I think that's imperative.
You guys, as a brand, do apretty solid job with regard to
evolving the program.
It's an award-winning programlistening to the customers.
What is the key there?
How are you doing that so wellwhen you listen to and evolve
the program based on feedback?
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I mean, I think the key is being willing to take
action against something thatpeople are telling you, you know
.
I think another example oflistening to that feedback is
that we, recently, we launchedthe ability to redeem 500 points
for $10 off in 2021 2021, Ibelieve it was yeah and, and we
(19:52):
heard after, since that waslaunched, that people that p, as
like our more loyal clients,especially our rouges, wanted to
be able to stack that to beable to, you know, use more
points to then get a greaterdiscount.
Um, and and.
So this year we launched thatability for rouges to have them
be able to use a thousand pointsor twenty dollars off again.
(20:13):
To kind of taking that feedbackand being willing to take that
action.
I think is is key to being ableto evolve and stay relevant.
Is is kind of making sure thatthe organization is ready to
incorporate what you're hearingand make the changes that are
that are required incorporatewhat you're hearing and then
make the changes that arerequired.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Excellent, you talked about it a little bit.
The beauty industry, retail ingeneral, is changing right From
expectations to how you engagewith it free shipping,
potentially different paymentmechanisms.
You talked about how customersare changing.
Where do you see it goingforward?
How do you see kind of thebeauty industry, the retail
industry, continuing to changeand evolve?
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I mean, I think obviously you know the how we
think about using AI in beautyis is is definitely going to be
a big change on the horizon.
You know, one of the ways thatSephora has been really
successfully incorporating thatis in a tool that we have called
the Skin Scan, which combines atool that was called Color IQ
(21:18):
with a digital skincare scan, soyou're able to use this tool in
our stores and then it shadematches you so you know exactly
what shade of foundation youshould get, but then also gives
you a a tailored productrecommendation based upon your
skin type too, and so that notonly enables a more personalized
experience, but it's using thisintelligence and to help really
(21:41):
guide the the the purchaseprocess for our clients, because
what we also have heard is thatsometimes beauty can feel a
little bit overwhelming becausethere's so many different
options available to you.
So this is like using this AIpowered tool is a great way to
ensure that people are beingable to kind of be better guided
(22:01):
in a very, very personalizedway to create more convenience
for the client, but then alsoreally kind of an inclusive,
accurate beauty experience.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Okay, and AI is obviously something that's at
the top of mind for all brandsand we do a state of customer
loyalty paper, every researchpaper of our members.
I'll send that to you.
But AI it seems like recentlyit's definitely evolving.
Brands have kind of an approach, a perspective.
There's definitely somechallenges with regard to
anonymizing data.
Do you use a clean room processto kind of run the platform, or
(22:37):
using a chat, or you know moreof a kind of traditionally known
AI platform, or can you buildit out yourselves?
Access to that data isobviously very important,
especially with 44 millionhighly engaged customers.
You don't want a challenge orkind of a breach in any way,
shape or form.
When you look at AI, you knowhow do you see that going
(22:59):
forward.
You talked about it a littlebit.
Are there challenges oropportunities you see with AI,
either from a privacyperspective, or is it going to
get the message right, which issomething we hear pretty
consistently?
Is it?
Speaker 2 (23:09):
going to get the message right, which is
something we hear prettyconsistently.
Yeah, I mean, I think thatSephora is very carefully and
strategically thinking about howwe want to incorporate AI into
the beauty journey and I thinkit's still super early days, but
you know, the privacy of ourclients and making sure that the
results that they're getting isvery, that is, as accurate and
(23:33):
correct, is very, very importantto us, and so we are thinking,
we are making sure that anydevelopment we do kind of ties
back to that core tenant ofinclusivity and being able to
accurately help them findwhatever beauty they want to
find, so that, I think, is kindof our North star overall.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
That's awesome.
When you look at the programholistically, what are two or
three things you're most proudof with regard to the program?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
I mean, first, I would say the birthday gift
program is a huge undertakingevery year to to be able to
offer amazing gifts.
And you know I personally alwayslove redeeming my birthday gift
each year and I think also youknow the variety of options
(24:22):
available to be redeemed in therewards bazaar is so fun just to
be able to use that to be ableto discover your next favorite
product.
We hear that a lot from ourclients that they love redeeming
their points to be able to trya new product to see if they're
going to want to buy the fullsize in the future.
And then, lastly, I would sayyou know our biannual savings
(24:43):
events that we have twice eachyear.
Just being able to have thisamazing discount available for
our beauty insiders to be ableto have them, you know, gift,
use them for gifts or use themto kind of, you know, buy
something that they've beenhoping to be able to buy and
unlocking that amazing you knowkind of better access to all of
(25:06):
the brands that we offer is alsosomething that's a huge
cross-functional effort acrossthe whole organization that I'm
really proud of Decided that weare continuing to be able to
offer it for our clients.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
And the last question , somewhat self-serving what can
Loyalty360 do to help you andyour team with your customer
loyalty program?
Customer loyalty journey.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
I mean I think that the role that you play with
bringing together loyaltyleaders across the industry and
enabling us to share insightsand best practices is a huge
help to us and kind of how welearn about new ways of thinking
around loyalty.
And so, at First of Four, beingpart of that community really
(25:51):
helps us stay informed and be ontop of emerging trends, and
that's really critical as wecontinue to wanting to evolve
and improve our program.
And so, like I'm really lookingforward to staying engaged with
Loyalty360 and continuing tolearn from other leaders to
deliver a truly exceptionalexperience for our clients.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
That's awesome.
Well, now we have the wonderfulquickfire round of questions.
We'd like to get them to ashort phrase or a couple of
words.
Okay, what is your favoriteword?
Speaker 2 (26:24):
This is a little bit of a strange one, but it's
prepuscular.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I know that one.
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
It means it's animals that tend to hunt at dawn and
dusk, which I think is just kindof a.
It's just a fun, a fun word tosay.
So I think it's a little bit ofa that's.
That's one of my favorite words.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Oh yeah, I didn't have it, but that's good.
I like using big words as well.
So what is your least favoriteword that others use?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I don't know if this isn't like a word, but I always,
I never, I'm like, I'm kind offrustrated when people say it is
what it is, because that is alittle bit of a defeatist
statement in my opinion.
And then, as I mentioned, likeSephora is all about creativity
and innovation and disruptive,and I and I think we believe
there's always a solution to aproblem, so I I don't love when
(27:19):
people just say it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Okay, that's going to make a joke and say, but I
won't.
What excites you?
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I love solving problems, so it excites me to
help.
You know, finding somethingthat might be a problem or issue
for our clients and figuringout how do we, how do we deliver
a solution to that Like that.
That's always very exciting tome.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Okay, and what do you find tiresome?
Speaker 2 (27:49):
I think you know, I think you know things that are
overly, things that seem tedious, that are kind of rote, and you
have it again and again andagain like that.
That's something that doesn'texcite me very much.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Okay Me either.
And again, like that, that'ssomething that doesn't excite me
very much.
Okay Me either.
Uniqueness is always awesome,at least in more invigorating
yeah Well, is there a book thatyou've read that you're a big
fan of, that you'd like torecommend to colleagues?
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Um, I, I love you know, I think good to great is a
great book.
Um and uh, and so I always lovethat book.
So that's one that I think I'verecommended a number of times.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Okay, is there a profession under the one that
you currently have that youwould maybe like to attempt?
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Um, maybe like teaching in the future that I, a
lot of my um husband's family,are teachers and that's
something that you know.
I think it would be fun, likeit'd be really interesting, to
see if I could help other peoplein that way in the future.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Okay, I mean, is there something that you enjoy
doing, a passion, a hobby thatyou don't often get as much time
to do?
Speaker 2 (29:04):
I love singing, so I've always loved singing all my
life, and so I would love and Iwish that I had more time to
sing with others.
I was in an acapella group incollege and so I would love to
sing more, I guess.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Who inspired you to become the person you are today.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
My grandfather was very inspirational for me, the
way that he lived his life andhe was very dedicated to kind of
thinking bigger picture thanjust himself, and so that's
that's definitely been aninspiration for me.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
That's awesome.
That's mine as well.
What do you typically thinkabout the end of the day?
Speaker 2 (29:39):
What's going to happen tomorrow?
It's mostly what I'm thinkingahead as a as a working mother.
There's always like the nextthing you have to do.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
And last question how thing youhave to do?
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Uh, and last question how doyou want to be remembered by
your friends and family?
Speaker 2 (29:55):
um someone who, uh, you know, lived their life with
empathy and and was loving and,I guess, loved by others that's
awesome.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Well, amy, thank you very much for taking time to
speak with us today.
It was a pleasure uh speakingwith you.
It's always good uh to seesomeone who has great passion
for the industry and the job andtheir customers.
We often don't always get that,and so it definitely was
resonant with you, so thank youvery much for being an
inspiration.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
It was really great to talkwith you.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Absolutely, and thank you everyone for listening.
Make sure you join us backevery Thursday for the next
edition of our Leaders inCustomer Loyalty series.
Until then, have a wonderfulday.
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