Sephora launches same-day delivery service

By Parija Kavilanz, CNN Business

Beauty addicts beware. Your Sephora addiction is about to get a whole lot worse.

Sephora has launched a same-day delivery service just ahead of the holiday shopping season, which is set up to deliver purchases within two hours for a fee.

Here’s how it works: customers who place an order on Sephora’s website, or through its app, can select the same-day delivery option, enter their address, and a courier picks up the order from the nearest Sephora store for delivery. The service has a flat fee of $6.95.

There’s also an option to cancel the order within a 15-minute window of it being placed. Also, not all products are available for same-day delivery. Sephora said shoppers can search for qualifying products online by entering their delivery address.

The new service is now available seven days a week in most major cities and suburbs, the company said, but online orders must be placed by 4 p.m. local time for same-day delivery. The retailer already offers other options, including buying online, pick-up in store and curbside pick-up.

The need for speed

Sephora’s latest move comes as consumer demand for hyperlocal delivery options has heated up even more through the pandemic.

While Amazon may have led the way, this elevated need for speed has created a new breed of startups that are competing to deliver customers’ orders even in as little as 10 minutes.

“There’s increasing expectation for on-demand everything,” said Alex Frederick, who covers emerging tech companies at Pitchbook, a research firm. “Convenience is the next step.”

Sephora rival Ulta allows shoppers to order online and pick up orders the same day in store or curbside, as long as they’re placed before 6 p.m. local time. Ulta also is rolling out mini-shops inside of Target stores, which will offer same-day delivery option through Target’s delivery service Shipt.

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CNNBusiness’ Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report