In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic dealt an unprecedented blow to the global retail industry. In the United States, Sephora as a well-known cosmetics chain has also been affected. Sephora recently announced the closure of all American stores, which also aroused people's concern and thinking about the retail industry. This paper will start with Sephora's store closing incident and discuss the challenges and transformation trends faced by the retail industry under the epidemic situation.

The background of Sephora's closing store in America.

Sephora is a chain store specializing in cosmetics and personal care products, which was established in 1998. Sephora has more than 65,438+0,000 stores in the United States and is one of the largest cosmetics retailers in the United States. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 brought a great impact to Sephora. During the epidemic, due to the closure of stores and people's restrictions on shopping, Sephora's sales fell sharply. Finally, Sephora announced that it would close all American stores and focus on online sales instead.

Influence of epidemic situation on retail industry

The outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic has had a great impact on the global retail industry. During the epidemic, due to the closure of shops, people restricted going out to shop, and retail sales dropped sharply. According to the data of the National Retail Federation, in 2020, retail sales in the United States decreased by 2.5%, while online sales increased by 2 1.9%. This shows that the epidemic has accelerated the transformation of consumers from offline to online.

Transformation trend of retail industry

During the epidemic, many retailers adopted online sales to cope with the decline in sales. This change is not only due to the impact of the epidemic, but also meets the needs and trends of consumers. With the continuous development of science and technology and the change of people's lifestyle, consumers are more and more inclined to shop online. Therefore, the transformation trend of retail industry is inevitable.

Transformation strategy of Sephora

Sephora will focus on online sales after closing all its American stores. Sephora official website offers a wealth of product information and shopping experience, as well as various promotional activities and coupons. In addition, Sephora also launched a program called "Beautiful Members", where members can enjoy exclusive discounts and gifts. Whether this transformation strategy can be successful remains to be seen, but Sephora's efforts and attempts are worthy of recognition.