How does your company support Indie brands?
Through Sephora’s entire 20-year history, it has been working with Indie brands. Incubating brands is an important part of our brand DNA, and doing so allows us to supply our stores and clients with unique product offerings and potential top brands. We even have a dedicated team for scouting, launching, incubating and growing Indie brands.
We have always made exposure decisions based on the biggest trends and client requests, whether they are from a huge brand or a small, lesser-known brand. This allows us to give a platform to small brands that might otherwise not receive much traction.
What is something that indie brands might not understand or know about your company?
Sephora is always interested in hearing from brands, no matter what their development stage might be. We meet with brands early and often, and prefer to do so before all product & packaging decisions are final in efforts to provide tips and feedback. You don’t need to be super-polished to be considered for our site & stores. We see brand pitches in all stages of development.
What advice do you have for indie brands?
Practice active listening. Today, not only are retailers vocal, but so are clients. The more ideas that come your way, the better. It is, of course, important to have your own filter, but taking as much feedback as possible often leads to success much earlier on than if brands resist feedback.
What inspires you to keep innovating?
The client is always at the center of all of Sephora’s decision-making, and we are constantly looking at how we can enhance the customers’ shopping experience. As clients’ shopping habits evolve, so does Sephora.
We believe beauty is for each individual to define and ours to celebrate, with the ultimate goal of inspiring acceptance, self-expression, and personal celebrations. We work to encourage and support a thriving beauty community in everything we do, teaching and inspiring our clients to play and discover beauty. We want to #BeautyTogether with our clients, whether in-store, online or on mobile.
What do you hope to give back by being an Indie Advisor?
Eleven years into my career in beauty, I love sharing my expertise with others. Although the industry is constantly changing, I have a good sense of what brands should and shouldn’t do at this stage. Watching an unknown brand gain traction is so rewarding for me.
