Finding new beauty buyers for a flagship serum

A prestige skincare brand set out to drive renewed momentum for its flagship serum, recruiting new beauty buyers while re‑engaging lapsed customers whose previous experience with the franchise signalled strong affinity for premium formulations.

Together, John Lewis and Epsilon's approach helped the brand achieve:

11:1

Brand ROAS

£7.47

Cost per acquisition

41%

New customer orders

A golden liquid dropper bottle on a reflective surface with blurred lights.

SOLUTION

The strategy centred on John Lewis’ beauty data, shaped by trusted online and in‑store relationships, to reach shoppers genuinely invested in premium beauty.
Lookalike expansion identified similar beauty buyers, including those purchasing comparable premium brands.
Audiences were engaged as they explored beauty advice, product benefits and skin suitability via offsite activation specifically hitting the consideration phase.
The activity delivered strong recruitment with an average order value of £50, supported by efficient, closed‑loop conversion tracking.

Woman with radiant skin applying facial serum with a dropper.

RESULTS

High brand ROAS was achieved across a full-funnel approach combining display and online video, with the lookalike modelling seeded from the brand's top buyers.
70% of all brand orders came from new or lapsed customers, confirming that the full-funnel targeting drove genuine acquisition rather than recirculating spend among existing buyers.
The online video element achieved a 75% completion rate against a 65% benchmark, and the campaign drove 8.7 store visits per 1,000 impressions where the benchmark sits between 0.3 and 1, showing a clear link between digital exposure and physical footfall.

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A premium approach to retention and acquisition