Google Home Hub is the company’s latest smart-home gadget, and its latest attempt to embed Google tech even deeper into users’ lives. But the best deal for this device doesn’t come from Google’s online shop, or any tech store—it comes from Sephora.
A multinational chain of beauty stores featuring numerous brands, Sephora recently kicked off its annual Beauty Insider holiday sale, which takes place over two weekends (Oct. 26 to Oct. 29, and Nov. 2 to Nov. 5). That means if you’re one of Sephora’s VIB (Very Important Beauty) Rouge members—top-tier shoppers who have spent more than $1,000 in the last calendar year—you can currently get 20% off the Google Home Hub (original price $149) with a discount code via Sephora.
A cosmetics store might seem an unexpected place to buy a gadget that lets you use Google Assistant around your house, even if Sephora is the world’s top beauty retailer and generates about $4 billion in revenue each year. But Google has been leaning into the wellness space: It recently announced plans to partner with Goop, Gwyneth’s Paltrow’s $250 million lifestyle empire. Vox described the pairing as “the perfect aspirational lifestyle play for Google.”
Selling the Home Hub at Sephora is also a smart play. Makeup tutorials, which help draw customers (paywall) to Sephora, are huge on YouTube, and growing. According to Statista, there were 88 billion beauty-related videos on YouTube in 2017, compared with 55 billion a year earlier. Google, which has invested in tutorial creators, even highlights the Home Hub’s ability to “jump-start your day with personalized routines,” including watching how-to videos on YouTube.