Retailing should be an important part of your business all year round, but especially during the festive season. There’s lots more you can offer your clients with retail promotions such as three-for-two or a gift with purchase. These can allow your clients to save money on great products, as well as getting something for free – win-win!
Every year, brands such as Schwarzkopf Professional – which we stock in the salon – have something new on offer, so there’s always something fresh to keep clients excited about. We also have the gift sets on display in the salon, and we like to take clients over to have a look at them while their colour is developing. This gives us a chance to talk them through the products and their benefits.
At every styling station, we have a laminate on the mirror with a list detailing all the gift sets and product ideas for clients to read while they’re getting their hair done. We include everything from brushes and electrical tools to gift sets and special promotions – it takes some passion and determination, but it is totally worth it. Every year, we set ourselves a target with team incentives, this means it’s a win for the team who get a bonus and it’s a win for the salon as you make more money.
Retailing at Christmas is really important to our business. The festive season is a time when people are ready to spend, and they want to give something that feels personal and useful to their friends and family – so what better than haircare products! Professional haircare products make a great gift because they’re not just nice to have; they actually help. It’s not only about selling them for Christmas, however, it’s about educating clients on what works for them so that they see the value all year round.
If you get it right, retailing during the festive season can give your business a real lift. It brings in extra cash for sure, but it’s also about showing clients the difference professional products can make compared to the products they buy on the high street… this leads to repeat sales long after Christmas. Gift sets and bundles also make things feel more special, which encourages people to buy.
It’s also very important that your team is on the same page when it comes to talking about products; it’s about making sure they understand what they’re talking about and that they feel confident recommending them. It’s good to get team members using the products themselves so they can speak from experience – clients trust their stylist’s advice, so when it’s genuine, it really clicks! Clients will value an opinion more if they can’t get it in a high street store or online. You can offer incentives like commissions, but it’s more about seeing product recommendations as part of looking after the client, not just selling.
The key to a successful Christmas is getting your team involved. Our team are great at recommending homecare to our guests all year round, but they always do better with something to focus on. So, we have different incentives and fun challenges in place – things like ‘most treatments sold in a day’, ‘most gift sets sold’, ‘highest rebook rate’ and so on. It’s easy to forget to retail when you’re busy and your column is full, so make it fun and have something extra in place to incentivise your team.
Christmas seems to creep up on us quicker every year, but we always make sure we have plenty of stock because you can’t sell what you don’t have! Gift sets are always popular with clients looking for something a bit more personalised, and we find that they like to treat themselves too. Remember, whatever gift sets that are left can be broken down and sold individually afterwards.
When you go to a fashion or beauty store, they are very good at making sure their merchandise looks attractive – this shouldn’t be any different for salons. Making sure your retail is displayed well with a festive theme will make a big difference to catching your client’s eye.
