The company got into e-commerce early.
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By 1998, Sephora had a basic website, but it was revamped the following year into an e-commerce site so visitors could make purchases. Ads for the site promised customers could find ”virtually every” product, whether they were looking for makeup, fragrance, or other beauty categories, The New York Times reported in 1999.
When the dot-com bubble burst, Sephora snapped up other beauty retail sites, like Eve.com, which it purchased in 2000.
A 2000 review of the site from Internet World noted that some major brands, including Chanel, Lancome, and Estée Lauder, were missing, but overall it was a fun experience, even if a number of products were sold out.
In the early days, Sephora attempted to recreate the sense of discovery provided at the in-person stores. A fragrance-finding feature used categories, including gender, blend, and notes, to help customers find a scent. There were over 230 herbs, spices, flowers, and other notes to choose from.
Sephora also started an online magazine in 1999 called Beauty Cyber-Space. One of its early features was an interactive celebrity makeup lesson from actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, WWD reported at the time.
Sephora’s app followed in 2010.
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