Sephora

We highlighted Sephora’s obsession with its customer journey in 2018, but this year, we’re calling out the three-time Index winner’s flawless, omnichannel experience. With more than 2,500 stores, Sephora proves that brick-and-mortar experiences thrive when it’s interwoven with a customer’s digital profile — and in Sephora’s case neither are traditional. The beauty retailer is a pioneer of in-store technology, such as Color IQ, which scans customers’ skin to help them determine the perfect foundations, concealers and lipsticks for their coloring. With unrivaled in-store events and experiences, Sephora has built a community of Beauty Insider loyalists who retain their lifetime value. Unified customer profiles across all channels, complemented with on-brand triggered emails and push notifications, keep customers connected wherever they shop. Sephora’s approach is so seamless that it makes the customer’s entry point irrelevant. Whether it’s in-store, on email, or in-app, the brand meets customers where they are and recommends what they need (and want) to keep coming back for more.