Sephora previewed the 2016 birthday gift for members of its Beauty Insider rewards program on Snapchat yesterday, driving further interest in loyalty memberships.

The beauty giant is drumming up New Year anticipation by ramping up excitement for the reveal of its annual birthday gift, which Beauty Insiders receive as a complimentary perk with any purchase made during their birthday month. Sephora Snapchat followers were the first to grab a sneak peek at the 2016 present, which gives loyalty members a choice between two coveted makeup and skincare sets.

?Sephora is going where the audience is ? mobile is becoming the number one media touch point for consumers and Snapchat is the third largest social platform among the desired millennial demographic,? said Pat Dermody, president of Retale, Chicago. 

?While everyone who follows SephoraSnaps may not currently be a member of Sephora's Beauty Insiders program, sharing the 2016 birthday gift is an interesting way to engage potential new members as well as reach existing ones.?

High-end collaborations
Followers of SephoraSnaps, the retailer?s official Snapchat channel, were able to see a sneak preview of the highly-anticipated 2016 birthday gift yesterday. Each year, Sephora joins forces with a major makeup brand to curate a kit of sample-size products its Beauty Insider members can receive for free when they make a purchase during their birthday month.

Previous collaborators have included NARS and Benefit Cosmetics.

The Snapchat Story began by calling attention to all Beauty Insiders, informing them ?Here?s a #sneakpeek of your 2016 birthday gift!?

The screen then panned to an image of a skincare set from Fresh, containing a soy face cleanser and rose face mask. The next snapshot saw the word ?Or?? superimposed over a black background, before switching to a picture of a Marc Jacobs makeup set, featuring black eyeliner and a berry-colored lipstick.

The final image showcased both gift sets in one frame, with the words ?Happy birthday to YOU!? emblazoned across the screen.

The impromptu reveal generated plenty of buzz on social media, prompting many excited Sephora fans to swap opinions on which set they would like to receive when their birthday rolls around next year. Users also expressed joy regarding the Marc Jacobs birthday gift, as the designer?s makeup products typically retail for high prices.

Several individuals retweeted or re-posted the Snapchat Story?s screenshots on Twitter and Instagram to help the spread the word among beauty enthusiasts.

Polishing up insider interest
Consumers who follow Sephora on Snapchat and are not members of the Beauty Insider loyalty program now have a major incentive to visit the retailer?s mobile application or site to sign up. Revealing the coveted gift sets ahead of the New Year will not only excite current members, but also likely spur a surge in program participation.

While Sephora did not offer a link or directions to sign up within its Snapchat Story, interested individuals will undoubtedly use their smartphones to find out more about the loyalty platform if they do not already belong to it.

The promise of receiving a high-end set with purchase will certainly place the Beauty Insider program at the forefront of makeup fans? minds.

Birthday freebies are a tried-and-true tactic for beauty marketers seeking to drive rewards program memberships, as they are adept at convincing shoppers to come in-store to claim their present or browse online offerings before adding the gift to their virtual carts.

Sephora?s decision to unveil the announcement via Snapchat may prompt other similar retailers to foreshadow their yearly offerings on social media as well.

The marketer is no stranger to tapping mobile strategy to build a more cohesive shopping experience with special features.

Sephora?s newest retail concept is a bricks-and-mortar connected boutique that creates a disruptive shopping experience via interactive in-store tablets, phone-charging stations and a selfie mirror (see story).

Additionally, the brand is currently leveraging in-application messaging to serve loyal customers end-of-year deals such as extra 20 percent-off discounts, prompting users to pamper themselves with gifts they did not receive for the holidays (see story).

?On-going member acquisition and engagement are critical to maintain a thriving loyalty program,? Ms. Dermody said. ?Communicating with members and potential members through social media can heighten interest in the program and its benefits, making it more engaging overall.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely, staff writer on Mobile Marketer, New York