Marketing Beauty to Generation Alpha in the Post-Digital Era. The Case of Sephora

This thesis examines the transformation of marketing in the beauty industry in the post-digital era, with a focus on Generation Alpha as an emerging consumer category, using Sephora as the primary case study. The first part of the work traces the evolution of consumption in the beauty industry, from traditional mass marketing models to a post-digital environment in which online and offline experiences are interwoven, and social media, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and user-generated content become key elements in shaping consumer experience. Consumption is no longer exclusively an act of purchase; it becomes embedded in everyday digital practices. The thesis then analyzes Generation Alpha in comparison with Millennials and Generation Z, in order to establish the need for a new marketing logic. Unlike previous generations, Generation Alpha is emerging as a platform-native cohort shaped by convergent culture, participatory consumption, and algorithmically driven media. Particular attention is paid to the processes of discovery, trust, co-creation, community, and identity formation in the digital environment. Drawing on theoretical analysis, the key behavioral drivers of Generation Alpha in the context of beauty consumption are identified, and the necessity of employing experiential marketing strategies is examined through the lens of Batat's 7E Framework. At the same time, the thesis raises ethical questions surrounding the marketing of products to a child audience, the commercialization of childhood, and other risks associated with early beauty engagement. In the concluding section, these theoretical findings are applied to an analysis of the Sephora case study from the perspective of experiential strategies and the identified characteristics of Generation Alpha, along with further recommendations for improving the effectiveness and ethical compliance of marketing directed at Generation Alpha.