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Shopping online experiences: Sephora. Opinions about site, ordering, products and customer care

Shopping experiences must be shared: this is why I’ve written down my opinion about purchasing online at Sephora, a beauty colossus which doesn’t need further presentation.

Shopping online experiences: Sephora

If you don’t live in a big city, served by the main beauty and fashion retailers, shopping online is a great possibility to buy at great prices and specific brands.
So it happens that, after receiving a newsletter from Sephora with an interesting offer, my sister decided to buy her signature scent online: Alien by Thierry Mugler.

Shopping online experiences: Sephora opinions about order, packaging, customer servise

The tempting offer consisted of a box with four Benefit mini size products for all orders over 30€. The promotion was such a success, the available stock of those promotional kits ended soon, what to do? My sister placed her order and Sephora had a replacement with the same if not higher value.
The shopping session was fast as she knew what she exactly wanted and already had an account.

The login in is very quick, Sephora site is easy to browse as well as putting everything in your chart and doing the checkout. A feature that surprises us at Sephora.it is the box options: you can choose in which case your order will arrive and your own samples!
In Italy, it’s up to 5, exactly 3 for orders less than 80€. This is an example: under my chart content, before paying it, I can choose and select the desired samples…


Shopping online experiences: Sephora opinions about order, packaging, customer servise

Shopping online experiences: Sephora. Sample selection opitions

However, since the site loads fast, you have to pay attention if you want to go back, change something and/or refresh the page, so my sister purchased the wrong perfume size.
When she realised that, she immediately called the customer care and was able to talk with an assistant but, here again, the Sephora system is immediate: the order had been already put in preparation. It’s a matter of minutes, almost seconds, once you confirm your purchase. My sister could just change her Alien with another bottle size in the shop if wanted.

After one week, the order arrived: the average but solid brown cardboard box contained an explosion of black and white graphics and an elegant red box with magnetic closure.

Inside her “matrioska box” with some tissue papers, there were both the scent, her samples (Narciso Rodriguez for her, Elie Saab Le Parfum and Guerlin L’Homme Ideal) and the promotional box.


Shopping online experiences: Sephora. Sample selection opitions


The promo has amazed my sister: the magnetic black and white box contained two Marc Jacobs mini size make-up items and a card with 3 samples of Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate.

The Highliner #42 Blacquer is a gel eyeliner in pencil and has a twistable end: twist the bottom to use the pencil.
A. couldn’t resist and she tried it immediately: it glides effortlessly onto the skin and is smudge proof, intense, pitch black… she liked it and now she loves it!
PROS:
– great offers
– a good selection of brands and exclusive products
– easy and quick account creation and shopping
– fast customer care
– attention to products and packagings
– customizable box
– sample selection
CONS:
– instant purchase process (not allowing further modifications)
– toll phone number for customer care


Shopping online experiences: Sephora. Marc Jacobs travel sizes

Shopping online experiences: Sephora. Opinions about site, ordering, products and customer care

Marc Jacobs Beauty, Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara and Highliner gel eye crayon eyeliner in #42 Blacquer, travel sizes

Marc Jacobs Beauty, Highliner gel eye crayon eyeliner in #42 Blacquer

The final vote: B+. Sephora can easily get a higher score but, you know, too fast isn’t good in life, right?

Yes, my sister did a mistake but she fell in love with what she purchased and the overall presentation. Indeed, we opened the box right away and showed it on Instagram for an “unboxing experience on air.
Do I recommend shopping online at Sephora? Yes, if you aren’t lucky and can’t physically visit and shop at a Sephora store, you can do it online but only by paying attention and taking your time!




Valentina Chirico aka Valens

Valentina Chirico: a past as an archaeologist, a present as an editor between London and Bedfordshire. An expat born in Southern Italy from an expat family. She holds an MA in Egyptology from the University of Birmingham and contributed as a co-author and postgraduate ambassador to the UoB PG Recruitment Blog before fully embarking on online editing. Besides archaeology, beauty and arts, this alumna loves travelling and shares an uncommon sense of humour. Online since 2009 with ValentinaChirico.com and later with ItalianMemories, Valentina is a storyteller and wants to inspire you a good laugh or to aim higher, to the stars.

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Italian Memories, Italian culture and lifestyle, semi-serious travel guide, Valentina Chirico