This document summarizes the customer journey of finding lipstick at Sephora, both in-store and online. Some key differences noted are that online shopping is quicker but the actual color and quality can't be guaranteed like seeing the product in person. In-store, it was difficult to not be distracted by other products but the desired lipstick was found near the front. Online, the product was easily located through categorized searches though the exact color appeared different than seen in store. Overall, the document concludes that purchasing in-store is better to truly see and test the product before buying.

1. Reed Knauth
Sephora
Finding Lipstick
Customer Journey Documentation
Summer Semester 2011-Adjunct Professor Alisan Atvur

2. How do I find lipstick?

80. Differences in Navigation Experience
• The major navigation differences I noticed between in-store shopping vs.
online is that shopping online is much quicker and requires less physical
effort than shopping in-store. Luckily the Sephora was close to the entrance
of the mall where I parked, but if I hadn't known where it was I would have
had to ask someone or find a site map in the mall. Online, you simply type in
your web destination. However online vs. in store the actual color and
quality of what you are buying is never a guarantee, so it's nice to physically
hold something in your hand. And of course, all of the extra effort to drive
to the physical store is worth it because you get what you want instantly and
do not have to wait.

81. In-Store Navigation Difficulties
• Overall, I did not have any in store difficulties other than the fact that I was
severely overwhelmed and distracted as I walked around. On my way to get
my product I passed by hundreds of other pretty products that I wanted to
test or touch. These were not my goal products so I was wasting time
looking at these because I did not need them. Also, If the lipstick I had been
searching for hadn't been so close to the front of the store I would have had
to spend much longer looking for it and possibly gotten frustrated in the
process. Tracking down an associate can also prove to be difficult task in
store if they are busy or not around at that moment.
• One thing I did notice while looking around Sephora is that each aisle is
organized by brand, so if I was looking for a specific brand that would be
very helpful as a customer.

82. Online Navigation Difficulties
• Finding the product online was very easy because Sephora has their website
organized in categories based around popular searches. I knew I wanted
makeup, so by clicking on that I was directed to the next set of categories,
where lipstick happened to be an option. The brand of lipstick I was
searching for was called " Rouge Artist intense, #31." This was easily located
on their lipstick homepage, so I didn't have to do much searching. The only
problem I had was finding the exact color I wanted. When i scrolled down to
#31 the color looked really off from the lipstick I saw in store. Thats a big
problem when the color or quality of something differs greatly between the
two.

83. • Overall I would say if given a choice wether users would choose to purchase
this product in store or online I would definitely say in-store. Even though
the difficulty level of finding the product in this case was easier online, I think
it's much more worth it to expend he extra energy to really see the product
you are buying. Obviously you can not compare the value of being able to
test numerous shades in an instant to see which ones work the best. You
can't do any of this online, making your satisfaction level with the store and
the company higher when done in-store.