Sephora Partners With Lyft to Drive Shoppers to its Stores

Sephora is rolling out a unique experience during its sales event next week, offering consumers in select cities up to $20 in Lyft credits to go to a Sephora store and shop, the company said in a press release Tuesday. Once at the stores, the Lyft riders will be treated to a personalized skin scan, shopping guidance, exclusive product sampling, and a $10 off coupon for orders over $50.

Select Lyft vehicles will be custom wrapped with Sephora branding in cities where this promotion — dubbed the "Delivered to Beauty" activation — is taking place: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle. The activation will occur from July 7-10.

Total Retail's Take: While it seemed for a few years that the in-person shopping experience was dying, activations like this one from Sephora is further proof that retailers are investing in in-person experiences to bring consumers back to their brick-and-mortar stores. EMARKETER predicted in early 2025 that retailers would focus more on personalized in-store experiences and technology to boost foot traffic and engagement, and activations like this one are validating that prediction. More than 80 percent of U.S. retail sales still occur in brick-and-mortar stores, according to EMARKETER.

Sephora's activation also falls during a key time on the calendar for retailers and consumers: Amazon's Prime Day event (July 8-11). This year's four-day Prime Day event marks its longest ever. Other retailers such as Walmart and Target have announced competing sales events around Prime Day in an attempt to capitalize on the increased online traffic during the summer shopping holiday.