Beauty chain makes over the future of shopping

digital makeover, as it launched iPads and iPods in stores and integrated its Web site with the popular social networking platform Pinterest, Boston Herald reports.

All 305 Sephora makeup stores are equipped with iPod touches that provide a mobile point-of-sale option for customers, helping to mitigate the sometimes-long lines that form in the store.

According to Market Watch, the company's new approach to online and in-store shopping includes an entirely new personalised Web experience, new mobile Web site, iPhone app and iOS devices. Sephora is also one of the first retail brands to fully integrate with Pinterest, adding 'Pin It' buttons to every product and brand page.

"Digital is a must for the future of retailing," said Julie Bornstein, senior VP, Sephora Direct. "With the social, digital, mobile and Web site updates, we're giving our clients the most customisable experience in the beauty industry, and connecting clients with our experts in the ways that are most relevant to them. We're excited to make over the future of shopping."

Shoppers will be able to browse the Pinterest boards of Sephora employees, and see what products are their favourites. Mashable quotes Bornstein as saying: “These are people who get to try every product, which gives their opinions of what products are best a little more weight.”

The company has also added a new feed on Instagram where consumers can get a behind-the-scenes look at Sephora and its staff, as well as what trends are hot in the beauty world.

In addition to the Pinterest integration, every product on the new Web site has been tagged with 25 different characteristics such as target age group, ingredients and price, so shoppers can narrow down a particular search while they shop. The tagging process took a team of 50 employees 5 000 hours to fully index and tag. The result, Sephora hopes, is an incredibly targeted and personal experience when shopping on its site.

All Things Digital notes that the Sephora app allows consumers to track what products they've purchased in the past, find out how many reward points they have, and look up the ingredients of a particular soap, lotion or eye shadow. So far, the app has been downloaded two million times, and the retailer says that shopping from mobile devices grew by 300% last year.