Three-quarters of consumers say brands fail to show diversity in skin tones, body types and hair textures in their imagery, according to a study initiated by Sephora in 2019.“This actually starts their journey of feeling unwelcome before they even have begun shopping,” said Deborah Yeh, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Sephora Americas, in conversation with Jenny B.
“The idea of racial bias at retail is not new news,” Yeh said. “Consumers of color have been talking about it for years. And our study, what it did is just help quantify it, which shows that two out of five U.S. shoppers say that they’ve experienced poor treatment due to their race or ethnicity.” What was most surprising about the findings for Yeh was the disconnect between how consumers “feel they’re being treated” in retail and how sales associates see those same interactions.
The study also shows the consumer experience can be improved by addressing areas that are important to people of color, like hiring a diverse group of retail sales associates, offering timely in-store assistance and information on new products and offers. Sephora is training employees in topics like “unconscious bias basics” and “anti-racism,” rethinking how it greets and serves its clients and reviewing its approach to brand marketing.