How to Maximise Retail Sales in Your Beauty Salon

We sat down with Coach and management trainer Nergish Wadia-Austin to discover top tips on how hair and beauty salons can increase their retail sales. In addition to being the trainer to the best of the best salons and spas in the world, she is the CEO & founder of the new benchmarking system in hair and beauty, the PHAB Service Stars. We asked her, what are the main areas a salon, spa or barbershop manager should consider when planning for a successful fourth quarter and this is what she had to say.

There are 7 key areas that require planning and action now, for a thriving and purposeful fourth quarter in hair and beauty businesses. 

1. Research: 

• Conduct market research to identify popular trends, products, and services during the holiday season by talking to your suppliers. Ask them about competitors' strategies and offerings that were most successful last year, to identify opportunities for your upcoming quarter 4. 

• Analyse customer preferences and purchasing behaviours during previous quarters, especially during the Christmas rush last year. What did you sell out of? Your sales results will be your best guide. 

2. Ordering: 

• Based on market research findings, curate a selection of retail products that align with customer preferences and popular trends. Talk to your team and find out if they agree or if they have alternative suggestions. 

• Estimate demand and order an appropriate inventory of retail products to ensure availability during the busy quarter. 

• Consider bundling products or creating gift sets to increase sales and appeal to gifting customers. Perhaps offer a gift-wrapping service for all purchases that are gifts for that time of year. Make the wrapping service attractive. 

3. Internal and External Communication: 

• Train and educate salon staff about the retail products, and new services, emphasising their benefits and features. 

• Implement effective sales techniques to encourage staff to upsell and cross-sell retail products during service appointments. Here, specific quarter 4 consultation training is the key to success. 

• Create marketing materials (e.g., brochures, posters, social media graphics) highlighting the salon's retail offerings, promotions, and gift options. Get started on that as soon as you have placed your orders. 

• Launch targeted advertising campaigns to increase awareness of the salon's retail products, gift wrapping services and new treatments on your website and social platforms as well as your internal customer newsletters. 

4. Actions: 

• Decorate the salon with a festive theme, creating an inviting atmosphere that encourages customers to explore retail products. 

• Offer special promotions, discounts, or bundled services during the holiday season to attract more customers in the up-coming quieter months of January & February. 

• Implement a customer loyalty program or rewards system to encourage repeat purchases and increase customer retention. 

• Train staff on effective customer service techniques to provide a positive and memorable experience that encourages customers to return.

5. Learning from Results: 

• Monitor sales data regularly to track the performance of retail products and identify top-selling items. • Analyse your customer feedback and reviews to understand their preferences and make adjustments to the product selection or service offerings. 

• Conduct post-holiday surveys or interviews to gather insights from customers about their experience and suggestions for improvement. 

• Use the gathered data and feedback to inform future business decisions and develop a plan for the slower quarter 1. 

6. Gifting and Gift Voucher Sales: 

• Create attractive gift packages or bundles with popular retail products, offering them at a discounted price. 

• Develop gift guides or suggestions for different customer profiles (e.g., men, women, teens) to simplify the gift selection process. 

• Promote the sale of gift vouchers, highlighting the convenience and versatility of allowing recipients to choose their desired services or products. Connect your consultation questions to allow for these opening sentences. 

• Offer incentives for purchasing gift vouchers, such as a free service upgrade or a discount on future appointments. 

7. Bringing Customers Back in Quarter 1: 

• Develop exclusive offers or promotions for the slower quarter 1 to incentivise customers to return. 

• Consider loyalty program benefits or discounts for customers who made purchases or received gift vouchers during quarter 4. 

• Launch targeted email or SMS campaigns to remind customers about upcoming offers and promotions. 

• Utilise social media platforms to engage with customers and create anticipation for new services or product launches in quarter 1. 

Remember to review and revise the action plan based on the salon's specific goals, resources, and market conditions. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of each strategy and make necessary adjustments to ensure continued success in following years.