GWP AT SEPHORA

A Gift With Purchase Experience for Merit Beauty

Client
Merit
Year
2025

Beauty products including a lipstick, a jar of cream, and a gold charm bracelet, displayed with a light blue satin bag and a black case with the brand name "MERIT" on a white marble surface.

INSPIRATION

A product launch only lands if the customer remembers it. For Merit Beauty at Sephora, the goal was to create a moment of discovery that felt worth keeping.

The inspiration came from warmth. Rich, tactile materials that whisper luxury without shouting it. Merit came in with Pinterest boards as early reference points, but Whitestone took those loose signals and built something entirely its own: a cohesive gift-with-purchase (GWP) collection that could hold its own next to the product it was meant to celebrate.

Flat lay of beauty and fashion accessories on a white marble surface, including a small blue Merit makeup pouch, a Merit face brush, a round lipstick, a black Merit round purse with a strap, a gold ring, a gold and pearl necklace, and a black container in the top left corner.

PLAN

Getting a GWP right at scale requires process as much as it does good taste.

Whitestone led product selection from the start, identifying custom lipstick holders, satin pouches, and leather mirror cases as the right trio to reinforce Merit's premium positioning. From there, the team developed full tech packs and managed an extensive sampling process, going back and forth with manufacturers to dial in every detail, like Pantone-matched fabrics to material weight and finish quality.

The GWPs were designed for new customers shopping at Sephora, distributed in-store with purchase through a nationwide rollout supported by Merit's field team. Rather than a passive shelf placement, this was a hands-on execution.

PRODUCT

The final collection consisted of three fully custom pieces, each built to complement Merit's hero product at launch.

The custom lipstick holder was designed as a keep-worthy case. It was structured, weighted, and finished in warm tones that mirrored the brand palette. The satin pouch offered soft contrast: smooth to the touch, with a refined simplicity that elevated even the act of reaching inside. The leather mirror case rounded out the set with a material richness that gave the full gift an unmistakably premium feel.

A black leather pouch with a gold zipper and clip labeled "MERIT" next to a gold and black lipstick tube also labeled "MERIT" on a white background.
A black circular case with the word MERIT in gold letters, attached to a black strap, on a white surface.
Light blue satin drawstring bag with a white label that says 'MERIT' on a white background.
Cosmetic product with a round container and a mirror, along with a black circular case labeled 'MERIT' on a white marble surface.
A close-up of a blue textured leather bag with a black leather key holder that has the word "MERIT" in gold letters, attached to a metal hook.

Production ran at significant scale across all three SKUs, built to match the scope of a national Sephora launch.

Every element was custom. Nothing was pulled off a shelf.

Collection of Merit cosmetics and makeup items, including a makeup brush, makeup bag, a compact, a compact mirror, and a beauty sponge, all arranged on a reflective black surface.

RESULTS

The GWPs debuted nationwide at Sephora as part of Merit Beauty's product launch, placed directly into the hands of new customers at the point of purchase. Each piece arrived as intended, as a deliberate extension of the Merit brand experience.

The project demonstrated Whitestone's full-service capability across custom product development and sourcing, tech pack creation and sampling management, Pantone-matched material development, and coordinated distribution at national retail scale. When the brief calls for something that has never existed before, Whitestone builds it.

Every image in this case study was captured by Whitestone's in-house photography team.

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