CVS gives Beauty Club loyalty program a makeover

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jun 12, 2018

CVS Pharmacy has overhauled its beauty loyalty program to position itself competitively against Sephora and Ulta. New to the program include samples and gift with purchase product incentives.

Coming this summer, CVS ExtraCare Beauty Club will now offer a "welcome gift, birthday gift, early access to new products, surprises and samples, exclusive deals and events." It will also release a monthly trend report to its members.

With the new initiatives, CVS appears to be trying to upgrade its loyalty program to stay competitive with drugstore chains as well as with specialized retailers.

Sephora arguably has set the bar in beauty loyalty program standards, offering a fully integrated omni-channel experience where the mobile app will help guide a customer to deals while physically shopping in store. The SF-based retailer offers free classes in store and will further strengthen its community with the announcement of its first multi-day beauty convention in LA, Sephoria.

Walmart has also slowly but steadily been offering exclusive beauty collections. It began gaining beauty market share with the brand reboot of Hard Candy. Current exclusive beauty offerings include CO Squared and Kokie Cosmetics.

For its part, Target, which houses CVS beauty sections in select locations, has also stepped up the interactivity of its beauty experience. In addition to revitalizing its beauty section in store with new lighting, Target has expanded its shade offering to include 150 new shades focused on medium and dark skin tones. It has also added a subscription beauty service and virtual makeup try on.

CVS's upgraded loyalty program perks will come into effect in July. Rewards are earned for cosmetics, skin care, facial care, hair care, hair color and fragrance purchases.