Beauty and the Beast may be a tale as old as time, but global beauty retailer Sephora is giving it a modern twist by counter-programming Amazon’s ferocious Prime Days. This week TWIRM asks, will its cross-promotion with ride-share service Lyft have a fairy-tale ending?

 

TWIRM, as always, is the This Week in Retail Media podcast, where Kate Dickson, Head of Marketing and Communications, Retail Media, STRATACACHE, and Jonathan Rosen, STRATACACHE’s Global EVP of Retail Media Strategy, dive deep into three retail media news stories that intrigue them, excite them and even, sometimes, “perk up” their proverbial ears.

 

Ear-perking story Number One is Sephora’s gambit with ride-sharing service Lyft to counter Prime Days, Amazon’s hugely multi-day online shopping bonanza. They’re offering shoppers in select US markets a “beauty break” from hectic online deal hunting with up to $20 in Lyft Ride credits to chauffeur them to a brick-and-mortar Sephora store. There, they’ll get personalized consultations with beauty advisors and receive $10 off in-store purchases over $50.

 

Will the offer make a dent in Amazon’s $14.2 billion of Prime Day sales? Not a chance, but maybe that’s not the point—more that it’s an opportunity to remind customers of the tactile pleasure of sampling beauty products out of the house and in person. 

 

“It’s a lovely use of the plus points of an in-store experience to combat online,” says Kate. “It’s thinking about what Sephora can do that online can’t.” And launching the promotion in the midst of one of the biggest online shopping events of the year? “It feels audacious in a way, and I really like that,” Kate says.

 

After glowing up with Sephora, Kate and Jonathan motor to U.K. retail giant John Lewis, which is taking a giant step to expand its retail media offerings by offering offsite ad capabilities. Lastly, they check in with U.K. food delivery service Just Eat, which is rolling out a new membership service with unlimited free deliveries from 90,000 partner restaurants, supermarkets and shops. 

 

Click here to listen to Kate and Jonathan measure the beauty of Sephora and Lyft’s creative anti-Prime Day promotion.