Sephora transforms its global HR strategy — digitally

Sephora is unifying its global human resources (HR) practices in response to the brand’s strong international growth during the last decade.

The beauty giant is deploying SAP’s SuccessFactors as its global Human Resources Information System (HRIS) for all countries and employees. In addition, Sephora is deploying mobile-accessible solutions from Qlik to help corporate HR staff manage local employee needs, jobs, and recruitment requirements.

In developing an initial Qlik application – called People Trends, available on mobile devices via the Qlik Sense mobile HR platform, all Sephora managers now have a single view of all HR data from which to make informed decisions.

This capability allows all managers throughout the Sephora organization to work with data that is always updated in real time, regardless of the country they are based in. The Qlik solution is structured around four functional areas: employee engagement, talent development, recruitment, and HR organization and effectiveness.  This Qlik application is dedicated to data visualization, and is intended to serve as a main driver in the overall HR digitalization process.

"Employees expect the same level of service and responsiveness from their company as they receive in their daily lives. It was imperative to provide our managers with a solution that is easily accessible via mobile applications to provide them with information in real time,” said Thomas Morabito, global VP, HRIS at Sephora.

"HR data allows companies to better understand the expectations of their employees, to accompany them throughout their career, and to identify opportunities for them, ultimately allowing for more refined and higher value-added talent management. We are delighted to support Sephora in the deployment of its employee vision,” said Nicolas Hirsch, country leader, France for Qlik.

To support it in this project, Sephora also relied on Micropole, a Qlik partner. The Micropole prototyping of the application enabled Sephora to choose the most valuable performance indicators in order to visualize the most significant data.

Sephora has been enhancing its ability to collect and analyze a variety of enterprise data. In October 2021, the company deployed Relex Solutions artificial intelligence (AI)-based forecasting and replenishment software, with the goal of improving its demand forecasting and automated replenishment. 

The retailer is seeking to increase inventory turnover and reduce the risk of obsolescence, while also increasing product availability. Sephora also intends to utilize the Relex solution to upgrade its management of promotions, slow-moving products, new product introductions, and product ramp-downs.

Sephora is also enhancing its data management in the wake of its fourth straight year of taking the top spot in the annual Retail Personalization Index compiled by marketing automation platform Sailthru. In the most recent 2020 edition of the Index, Sephora increased its score to 89 points out of a possible 100, up from 79 points in the 2019 Index, thanks to its focus on omnichannel personalization, user engagement and new ways to provide personalized shopping experiences at home.