Thursday, February 18, 2010

Did Sephora eat the Apple?

Sephora is joining the self-service wave by offering kiosk units in six airports nationwide. I recently heard about the retailer’s self-service initiative to provide some of its best-selling beauty essentials to on-the-go travelers, but I finally spotted one of its branded vending machines at the Indianapolis airport last weekend.

Operated by ZoomSystems, the kiosk is powered by touch screen technology and has a video monitor to walk customers through the process. The software is easy to use; the hardware sleek and a great extension of the brand. The units are also being tested in 20 JCPenney stores.

While playing around with the machine during my flight delay, I realized there used to be an Apple kiosk in the very same spot. What happened? Has Sephora gone and upped Apple?

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