Sephora CEO: Retailers Must ‘Create the Offer’ & Drive Demand, Not Just Follow It
PARIS – Sephora is actively shaping the beauty market, not simply responding to it, according to CEO Guillaume Motte. Speaking to Forbes, Motte emphasized the company’s purposeful curation of its product selection – with roughly half of its offerings exclusive to Sephora – as evidence of a strategy focused on establishing demand.
“We don’t have buyers,we have merchants – people who choose for the right reasons the brands that will resonate with our customers,” Motte stated. “Being relevant, creating the offer and having a view is something very different.”
This approach has fueled important growth for the beauty retailer, with sales tripling over the past decade.Despite the growth of online shopping, Motte remains a staunch advocate for brick-and-mortar retail, particularly with Gen Z consumers who “actively want to go to stores rather than buying everything online.” He described triumphant retail as “exciting…an experience, it’s alive and kicking.”
Sephora currently operates 3,400 stores which Motte views as logistical hubs, utilized for online order fulfillment and, increasingly, rapid delivery services aiming for one-hour delivery times. The company estimates approximately one-third of its business is driven online, but prioritizes a “seamless” customer journey regardless of the purchase channel.
“Omnichannel, I don’t know, I don’t care,” Motte said, emphasizing the importance of a unified customer experience.
Beyond traditional retail spaces, Sephora is pursuing “cultural alignments” through pop-up activations at locations like beaches and music festivals, even during historically slower summer months.
motte also highlighted the importance of Sephora’s 45,000 in-store staff, stating that customers often remember the buying experience more than the product itself. The company prioritizes internal promotions,with two-thirds of promotions currently filled internally,and aims to increase that figure to three out of four.
