7th March 2026
I stumbled across the word ‘Clienteling’ whist carrying out research on the future of retail in salons. At first I thought it was a made up word, an AI error (because AI does make mistakes), but no, it is a genuine word. Digging deeper into the meaning of ‘Clienteling’ opened my eyes to the possibilities it brings to salons when they are trying to recommend in-salon services and retail, especially retail when faced with clients googling whilst sat in the chair trying to find the products on the salon shelves at a cheaper price!
What does it mean then?
Redant.com says: “Clienteling is a retail strategy that uses customer data, purchase history, preferences, behaviours – to build long term, personalised relationships, transforming one-time buyers into loyal clients. It merges human centric service with digital tools to provide tailored recommendations, and experiences, both in-store and online.
What des that mean for salons?
Customer data: Every salon has records relating to clients, details such as D.O.B, colour history, address and email, great for personalising messages, sending birthday greetings and offers etc.
Purchase history and preferences: What clients buy into, how frequently they purchase and is it always the same products? What they like and don’t like, this can all be captured digitally for future reference.
Long term personalised relationships: Of all the consumer centric industries, hairdressing and barbering are quit possibly TOP OF THE LIST when out comes to relationships with meaning, clients have a very special bond with their stylist.
Clienteling seems to be the perfect fit for salons and their teams. Utilising the human interaction and the digital records that are kept about each visit makes the dialogue about products and services easier.
But what about googling products?
The answer to combatting clients looking elsewhere for their home care products is simple and with a little bit of research and effort from the salon owner, the potential for growing retail and services is there for the taking.
Why carry brands that are readily available everywhere, invariably with special offers that entice consumers to purchase from mass market channels instead of their salon and their hair expert?
The three most important things for salons to look at are:
1: What are the brands that are available in the salon and where else might a client be able to get them? If they are ‘mass market, change to something that isn’t, product lines (because there needs to be choices) that creates a point of difference for the salon. There are lots of fantastic brands that can make a salon stand out from the crowd.
2: E-commerce is a must have, clients choose a salon for lots of reasons, primarily because they find an expert that they trust with their hair. And whilst that trust is paramount, it doesn’t always translate to buying products that are recommended. So if a client decides to google, they should be directed to a salons own e-commerce platform, (perhaps via a QR code decal on the dressing out unit) a simple site that has all the retail products available in salon available for purchase online. And critically there needs to be a reason to shop on the site as opposed to visiting Amazon etc.
3: Rewards encourage shopping. Whether it be loyalty points that can be used toward salon visits, or free gifts with purchases, free delivery when bought online; all aspects of what big online stores do need to be dropped into the salon experience, be that while the client is in the chair or if they are shopping online whilst at home.
And then finally wrap up ‘Clienteling’ with lots of in-salon experiential moments that the client enjoys and engages with. Experiences are what the future of retailing and services now is, in fact it’s now top of the list for consumers when they are in that shopping frame of mind.
#ProForPro #Clienteling #ItsAllAboutExperiences
