Sephora’s quiet opening hours are expanding nationwide for sensory-friendly shopping

Sephora is bringing « quiet hours » to all its US stores, the latest sign that the big dealers are investing in sensory-friendly shopping experiences, which aim to make stores more accessible to customers with different types of nerves.

The beauty retailer announced that during designated quiet hours, stores will lower the volume of music, adjust in-store digital displays and minimize strong fragrances to create a more peaceful shopping environment. Sephora has not announced a nationwide schedule for quieter shopping periods.

The nationwide rollout follows a pilot program in 32 Sephora stores in eight markets. The company said it developed the initiative together with Open Inclusion, an advocacy organization for the disabled, and the Purposeful Futures consultancy, after collecting feedback from neurodivergent and sensory-sensitive beauty customers.

« Quiet Hours at Sephora is one meaningful step in our ongoing commitment to building more inviting environments for our employees, consumers and communities, » Deborah Yeh, Sephora’s global chief marketing officer, said in a statement.

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The change is due to retailers increasingly considering accessibility initiatives both as customer service work and as a way to reach a wider customer base.

Walmart became the first major US retailer to introduce a permanent display daily sensory-friendly shopping times nationwide in 2023 after the concept has been tested during the school term. The retailer now offers a quieter shopping experience every day from 8am to 10am local time, turning off the overhead music, dimming the lights where possible and displaying static images on television screens.

At the time, Walmart said the decision to make the program permanent followed overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees, including partners with autism and ADHD.

« From face-to-face conversations, emails, listening sessions, social media and our personal experiences in stores, we’ve seen what these changes mean for our customers and partners, » Walmart executives Denise Malloy Deaderick, Cedric Clark and Alvis Washington wrote in announcing the nationwide expansion.

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Other retailers have also experimented with sensory-friendly shopping. Target has tested quieter shopping times in certain stores by dimming lights, limiting overhead ads and turning down music, while Toys « R » Us has offered « Quiet Hour » events in some locations.

Ticker	Safety	Take	Change	Change %
LVMUY	LVMH MEETS HENNESSY LOUIS VUITTON SE	110.6	-2.34	-2.07%

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Outside of brick-and-mortar retail, Chuck E. Cheese has been running monthly « Sensory Sensitive Sundays » at participating locations since 2016, opening early with dimmed lights, muted sounds and a quieter environment for families.

The programs are designed to reduce sensory triggers such as loud music, bright lighting and other in-store distractions that can make shopping more challenging for some customers.