PYMNTS-MonitorEdge-May-2024

Sephora Offers Paze Online Checkout to Loyalty Members

Sephora, Paze, digital payments

Early Warning Services has made its Paze online checkout available to Sephora’s loyalty program members.

The checkout option — offered by participating banks and credit unions — is now available to members of Sephora’s Beauty Insider Loyalty program, Early Warning Services (EWS) said in a news release Wednesday (Aug. 28).

“Our focus has always been on providing a seamless shopping experience, and we’re excited to offer Paze to our most loyal shoppers,” said Stefan Jensen, vice president, treasurer, Sephora. “Through our integration of Paze, Beauty Insider members will have even more flexibility, along with a convenient way to check out online.”

Paze combines a consumer’s eligible debit and credit cards in a single digital wallet, letting shoppers make purchases online without entering their card information, download a third-party app or memorize a password.

The release noted that transactions are tokenized, providing added security to checkout since actual card numbers are not shared with stores. And because it’s offered via their bank or credit union, shoppers can feel confident using it to check out online.

“Sephora continues to embrace innovation in payments, and Paze provides their Beauty Insider members an even better online checkout experience,” said Catherine Murchie, head of operations at Paze. “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in enhancing the customer experience, providing Sephora shoppers with a seamless and efficient way to complete their purchases.”

EWS said Paze will be available nationally later this year through participating banks and credit unions, a list that includes Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, PNC Bank, Truist, US Bank and Wells Fargo.

The rollout is happening at a moment when, as covered here Wednesday, the digital wallet has begun hitting its stride.

Research from the recent report Digital Wallets: Beyond The Transaction,” produced by PYMNTS Intelligence and Google Wallet, found that digital wallets are gaining traction around the world, with more than 70% of polled consumers using them across five countries (Brazil, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.).

“While the primary use remains payments and financial transactions, there’s a growing trend, particularly among Generation Z, to utilize digital wallets for storing and using non-financial credentials like IDs, access passes and loyalty cards,” PYMNTS wrote Wednesday. “However, barriers like internet connectivity issues and skepticism toward fully embracing digital wallets persist, indicating room for growth and improvement. In short, the story of digital wallets is still being written.”

PYMNTS-MonitorEdge-May-2024