Sephora Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to create passive income.
If you are interested in the lifestyle and beauty niche, you can join Sephora’s affiliate program to earn a commission by promoting its library of products.
This article will cover everything you need about the Sephora Affiliate Program.
You will find out how much money you can make, a step-by-step sign-up guide, and this program’s pros and cons.
If any of that appeals to you, keep reading to find out more.
Brett Helling is a digital marketing expert with over 10 years of experience building, managing, and scaling websites.
Here is a brief overview of the Sephora Affiliate Program.
The exact numbers, such as the CPA and detailed commission scale, appear to be hidden by Sephora.
It is assumed that affiliates within the program would have more access to those numbers.
- Cost Per Action (CPA): Not listed
- Commission Rate: 5% to 10%. The actual rate depends on the product category.
- Cookie Duration: 24 Hours
- Payment payout threshold: $50
- Payment Options: Direct Deposit or Check
The Sephora affiliate program allows affiliates to earn commissions by promoting Sephora products through unique referral links. Affiliates place these links on their websites, blogs, or social media. When users click the link and make a purchase, affiliates receive a percentage of the sales, incentivizing product promotion.
Products to Promote
Beauty is among the best niches for affiliate marketing.
There are many reasons why this may vary by the case. Beauty products are part of most people’s every day.
Other people consider makeup as a form of artistic expression.
Beauty is a niche that will never die, and shoppers often look for the next best thing.
Through Sephora, you can promote many niche products that you think will best suit your readers.
We will cover a few of those products now.
1. Skincare
Skincare is an extremely popular niche as everyone would love to have soft, supple, glowing, clear skin.
A beauty blogger may be able to review a single product or even use a post to talk about a full skincare regime for a particular need or issue, from The Ordinary to Tatcha and everything in between.
2. Hair
Sephora carries some of the most coveted brands in hair care, including Olaplex and Moroccanoil.
These are brands that will draw people in. In some cases, like the Olaplex line, the content written can be evergreen thanks to how respected these products are.
Aside from products, Sephora also carries plenty of hair care tools, such as brushes, straighteners, and shower caps.
3. Fragrance
If a popular brand comes to mind when you find fragrances, Sephora probably carries it.
You could be earning a commission on mega stars of the fragrance industry, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Hugo Boss.
Fragrances can also lead to high-ticket-affiliate-marketing, meaning higher commissions on high-quality products.
4. Makeup
No article about Sephora would be complete without talking about their makeup.
It is the bread and butter of the Sephora brand, after all.
They carry some of the most sought-after brands in beauty, from Fenty to Too Faced.
Sephora also has a line of makeup products.
5. Tools
We covered a corner of this in the hair category with hair tools, but it doesn’t end there.
Sephora also carries all of the makeup brushes, bags, or hair dyers that anyone would ever need.
They even carry Dyson’s new line of hair tools.
Other Things You Can Promote With This Program
Sephora has plenty of other products you can promote beyond their main categories.
They have a full range of bath and body products, from lotions to bath bombs.
They also have gift sets and a selection of mini products for those not ready to commit to full size.
The minis are also a great way to hit the travel niche as easy products to take on your next vacation.
What Products Are Excluded From the Sephora Affiliate Program?
If Sephora carries it, then it is included in the program.
It is little wonder that they have such a competitive affiliate program thanks to their expansive catalog and impressive commission.
Besides the countless products Sephora carries, you can earn affiliate commissions on its own Sephora Collection.
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If you’re new to affiliate marketing, you may wonder how much a blogger makes.
In extreme examples, you could make as little as a few dollars to as much as hundreds of thousands.
Beauty is an extremely profitable niche for those who are great at promoting products they believe will help their readers.
As a Sephora Affiliate, you will earn a commission on all products that your readers buy through your links.
Sephora Affiliate Program Commission Rates
Acquiring the exact commission rates for the Sephora affiliate program will require you to complete the application process and receive approval.
That said, Sephora has one of the highest commission rates in the beauty niche.
Similar stores, such as Ulta or Walmart, only offer up to 4% commission.
Sephora, meanwhile, starts at 5% and can slide as high as 10% depending on what department the products are being bought from.
How Long Does The Sephora Cookie Last?
The short cookie length is one of the only downsides to the Sephora Affiliate Program.
Readers have only 24 hours to purchase for you to turn a commission.
This is much shorter than other affiliate programs.
Some programs give readers up to a month to make a purchase.
How Payments Work
Sephora’s affiliate program is handled through Rakuten Marketing.
According to the Rakuten website, they handle payments through either direct deposit or check.
This leaves options rather limited compared to other affiliate programs, such as Paypal payments.
When Does Sephra Pay Affiliates?
Sephora pays its affiliates every month.
When you sign up, you can choose a payment threshold with a minimum threshold of $50.
This simply means that Sephora will hold on to your money until they can payout at least $50.
You can choose a higher payment threshold, too, if you prefer.
Is the Program Worth It?
Sephora has plenty of great things, but no program is perfect.
In this next section, we’ll cover come off the best aspects of the Sephora Affiliate Program, along with some of its downfalls.
Pros of the Sephora Affiliate Program
The Sephora affiliate program has plenty of benefits. These include:
- High Commission rates: Sephora has some of the highest commissions for the beauty niche across the internet. Consider their 5% to 10% against Ulta Beauty’s 4%.
- Massive Catalog: No other beauty store carries as many products as Sephora. Not only that, but they carry some of the most coveted brands.
- Marketing Materials: Sephora knows that not everyone wants to make stunning graphics and banners for every post they write. Sephora helps you out by supplying plenty of marketing materials from day one.
- Exclusive Deals: As a Sephora Affiliate, you’ll have access to exclusive deals on their products. This includes affiliate-only flyers to give you a first look at new products.
- Free shipping and samples – As an affiliate, you get free shipping on all orders over $50. On top of that, you get tonnes of free samples. You can use the samples yourself, or they can be used in giveaways on your blog.
Cons of the Sephora Affiliate Program
As with most ventures, the Sephora affiliate program does have its drawbacks. These include:
- Small Cookie Window: The main downside of the Sephora Affiliate Program is its short cookie window. Your writing has to convince a buyer to purchase a product quickly, just 24 hours after clicking your link. If they simply leave the product in their cart for too long, you’ll miss out on the commission.
- Little information on commission scale: Their commission has a sliding scale from 5% to 10% depending on the department, but there appears to be little information on what categories have what commission.
- Almost too many products: For a newer blogger without a truly established niche, the vast number of products on Sephora may be overwhelming.
- Long acceptance time: Sephora manually accepts every single new applicant. For this reason, you may be waiting a while after you send in your application before you are accepted.
- Few payment options: Rakuten’s marketing program runs the program. There are a few payment options available to the affiliate. You can only use direct deposit or a check.
Conclusion: Is The Sephora Affiliate Program Worth It?
Absolutely. The cookie duration remains the only major downside to the Sephora Affiliate Program.
The high commission rate and the large range of products make this program a win for any affiliate who can get past the acceptance process.
How to Join
Joining the Sephora Affiliate program is very easy.
You start by going to the program page on their website and scrolling to the bottom of the page to the link that will send you to the application form.
Requirements To Join the Sephora Affiliate Program
The very first thing you need is a website.
The Sephora Affiliate Program requires that you already have your business as an affiliate marketer started.
This includes having a business plan in place, your website, a set niche, and steady traffic.
For this reason, it is unlikely that beginner bloggers will be able to join the Sephora Affiliate Program until they have proven themselves.
The only other requirement is that applicants must be at least over the age of 18.
How To Apply [Step-by-Step Tutorial]
If you would like to join the Sephora affiliate program, follow these steps to get started.
- STEP 1: Go to the Sephora website and navigate to the Beauty Affiliate Program page.
- STEP 2: Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to the registration form.
- STEP 3: Fill out the registration form. The sections include company info, contact and account info, primary website info, payment threshold, language preferences, and membership agreement.
- STEP 4: Wait for your approval.
How Long Does it Take to Get Approved for the Sephora Affiliate Program?
Sephora accepts new applicants manually.
For this reason, it can take a little while to get accepted.
On average, it takes at least three weeks to hear back from Sephora after you have applied.
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