THE LADDER ENGAGEMENT
The ladder of engagement is a strategic framework used to foster customer loyalty by progressively involving individuals in brand-related activities, ranging from passive consumption to active co-creation. As customers move up the ladder—from observing content to contributing reviews, participating in forums, and ultimately co-developing products—they become increasingly emotionally and behaviorally invested in the brand (Smith and Zook, 2011, p.19).
Engagement can be measured by indicators such as frequency of product reviews, blog posts, forum discussions, and content contributions (Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick, 2019, p.504-505). Identifying these behaviours allows marketers to spot potential brand evangelists and create ambassador programmes to amplify word-of-mouth influence (Scott Monty, cited in Smith and Zook, 2011, chapter 1, p.19).
(Jacob Nielsen, 2006)
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Notably, not all consumers climb the ladder equally—Nielsen’s 90–9–1 rule observes that 90% are passive, 9% occasionally contribute, and only 1% are active participants (Jakob Nielsen, 2006). Yet, this 1% plays a critical role in brand advocacy and innovation.
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​Sephora is a global beauty retailer that offers a wide range of cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance products. Known for its customer-centric approach, Sephora has successfully built a highly engaged online and offline community. Below are the levels of the ladder of engagement that Sephora incorporates into its business structure.
Ratings
Consumers often rely on peer ratings when making purchasing decisions. Sephora encourages customers to rate the products they’ve purchased through its online platform.
(Sephora, 2025)
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These ratings are visible on product pages, helping others make informed decisions. According to Smith and Zook (2016, p.19), online trust is built hierarchically, starting with peer recommendations, which Sephora effectively leverages.
Reviews
Sephora allows and actively encourages customers to leave detailed reviews. These reviews include star ratings, product performance notes, and even user-uploaded images
(Sephora, 2025)
Discussions
The brand has developed an online Beauty Insider Community where users can ask questions, join groups based on interests (e.g., skincare for oily skin), and comment on each other’s beauty routines. This creates a sense of belonging and opens up deeper discussions between customers (Smith and Zook, 2016, p.19).
(Sephora, 2025)
Ideas
Sephora actively collects user-generated content through campaigns such as #SephoraSquad and Design Your Own Routine. These campaigns encourage customers to upload their beauty routines and product combinations to social media, some of which are then used in official brand communications (Sephora Squad, 2025).
(Sephora Squad, 2025)
Source: community.sephora.com
Brands
The company also collaborates with influencers and emerging beauty entrepreneurs. For example, Sephora’s exclusive partnerships with brands like Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and GXVE by Gwen Stefani allow customers to see familiar faces and feel more emotionally connected to the products (Fellizar, 2022; Sephora, 2025).
(Sephora, 2025)
Products (Collaborative Co-Creation)
At the highest level of engagement, Sephora involves consumers in collaborative co-creation through initiatives like the Sephora Accelerate programme. This brand incubation programme focuses on supporting founders—especially people of colour—to launch and scale beauty businesses. It provides mentorship, funding, and a pathway to retail presence at Sephora (Sephora Accelerate, 2024). This aligns with Smith and Zook’s (2016, p.19) view that collaborative co-creation is the most advanced form of engagement.
(Sephora Accelerate, 2024)
While Sephora's engagement strategy is comprehensive, relying heavily on user-generated content and community-driven insights can also pose risks, such as inconsistent brand messaging or over-reliance on influencer culture. To mitigate this, brands must balance co-creation with consistent brand identity and transparency (Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick, 2019, p.519). Nonetheless, Sephora’s multi-level engagement serves as a strong benchmark in digital marketing practices.