Sephora Partners With Retail Zipline To Elevate Field Communications During Retail's ‘New Normal' And Beyond

The platform supports communication for over 12,000 retail associates across 530 Sephora stores across the US and Canada

Retail Zipline, the leading communication and execution platform for retailers, announced today that Sephora, the prestige omni-retailer, has rolled out its platform across 530 stores in the US and Canada. Retail Zipline gives Sephora retail employees access to the vital communication tools and timely information they need to stay up-to-speed and take immediate action on important information, and to continue delivering the welcoming in-store experience for which Sephora is known.

Since choosing Retail Zipline as it’s communications partner in May, Sephora’s HQ and District Managers were able to maintain necessary team communications during nationwide store closures due to COVID-19 and set their employees up for success in preparation for reopening – all while working remotely.

“Even before the pandemic, we had a need for new, quick-hitting, engaging ways of communicating to our field teams in a timely, efficient and easy to use manner. That’s how we first found Retail Zipline,” said Joan Willat, SVP of Store Experience and Business Operations for Sephora. “Earlier this year, it became clear that we needed Retail Zipline’s communications technology to successfully keep our field teams engaged, empowered and informed with the information they need to deliver our unique retail experience.”

Here’s how Retail Zipline has supported Sephora’s operations so far:

• Improved upper-field job confidence. Retail Zipline equips DMs with a customizable communication and insights tool that keeps them up-to-date on legal implications as reopening policies shift, increasing their job confidence and ability to swiftly adapt operations.
• Enhanced employee communication and task management. To keep employees engaged and informed amidst store closures and reopenings, Retail Zipline makes content like company news, critical updates and required actions easily accessible.
• Better engagement. Over the past two years, Sephora made a focused effort to better understand what store associates need to excel and be happy in their jobs. Sephora adopted Retail Zipline to address associates’ widespread need for real-time, quick-hitting communications, which set teams up for success in spite of a store environment that’s even more complex than before.

“COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the ways stores communicate and operate,” said Melissa Wong, CEO of Retail Zipline. “Retailers like Sephora now have a communications priority that is less about business and more about its people that ultimately supports their efforts to ensure their employees understand their voices are heard and valued.”

About Retail Zipline
Retail Zipline is the leading communication and execution platform for retailers. Built with the complexities of retail in mind, Retail Zipline helps HQ streamline and coordinate communications with the field, in a way that makes store teams happier and more productive. The company’s goal is to improve the lives of one million retail employees by 2025, and the platform is already used by leading brands such as Sephora, Speedway, L.L.Bean, Hy-Vee Inc., Lush Cosmetics, BevMo!, LL Flooring, Cole Haan, The LEGO Group, TOMS, Torrid and others. For more information, visit retailzipline.com.

About Sephora Americas
Since its debut in North America over 20 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the purpose of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to touch and try 25,000 products from 400 carefully curated brands, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained beauty advisors in more than 500 stores across the Americas, as well as over 600 locations inside JCPenney. Clients can also experience Sephora online and through our mobile app, access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora’s passionate clients. Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, “We Belong to Something Beautiful,” to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through our Sephora Stands social impact programs. For more information, visit https://www.sephora.com/.