15th June 2026
With the news that another salon professional brand has decided to go down a different path, a very different path by the way; (If you want to know what the brand is and where it’s going, drop a DM), but suffice to say it’s a new approach to where you can buy haircare online, and as a clue it’s the place where you order something and what you get tends to be nothing like what you thought was coming your way!!
This is an interesting opportunity for salons and especially true SALON PROFESSIONAL brand to change direction and encourage clients, as in salon owners and (or) salon guests to move to brands that can be 💯 trusted to support hairdressers and the hairdressing industry.
If the route this brand goes down proves to be fruitful, and there’s a strong possibility it will be, then it doesn’t bode well for salon retail as other companies that are looking to move across to mass market channels will swiftly follow.
I recently read a very interesting article on the BBC website from a business guru who said:
“selling products is dead, and I think brands have quickly realised that in order to make anyone [care], you have to entertain them, which is easier said than done”. Tom Berendsen.
This resonated with me as I have talked about creating experiences in salons for a long time and now, as ever more brands move away from the salon environment as their main focus it becomes ever necessary to look at what products are sat on your shelves gathering dust and what products are successfully being recommended by salon teams, my guess is that the products that move are not available everywhere else.
Salons have to fight for their retail, as does every other business.
I noticed recently that Sephora are moving into a shopping centre in Edinburgh where the Harrods Beauty store sits next to Kiehls, Rituals, Aesop, L’Occitane, Space NK, The Body Shop, Boots, Superdrug and other stores that all carry beauty products. In a saturated market, what did Sephora do to excite and engage with their potential audience, they changed their trademark black and white stripes for a black and white tartan window wrap announcing they are on their way, it’s genius as it entertains and creates a brand awareness that has got Edinburgh talking.
What can salons do to generate excitement and entertain clients in a world where they are spoilt for choice with haircare brands?
1: Stock brands that offer a point of difference, products that suit the salon vibe and are different to the mass market stuffs.
2: Create a more viable retail space, don’t just put products on a shelf or two, create an environment that shout out ‘WE ARE A SHOP”.
3: E-commerce, the must have for salons to successfully compete in the digital world.
4: Educate salon team members so they fully understand why you stock the brands you stock.
5: SHOUT OUT that you are the hair experts trusted with cuts, colours, curls, extensions, waves and styling, and explain why you need to be trusted about SALON PROFESSIONAL haircare.
6: Speak to brands that you have noticed and been curious about, they will be delighted to help you in any way they can.
7:If you see your salon brands elsewhere at cheaper prices, or with discounts and free gifts, ask your representative to do the same for you. When they say they are not able to, make the decision to move to a brand that will support you.
8:Don’t be scared of change, switching to a SALON PROFESSIONAL brand can create so much excitement for everyone that the transition becomes seamless and ultra productive.
9: FIGHT BACK, if your brands have moved across to mass market channels and cheap online websites, they are not concerned about losing your retail business, so switch to a different colour brand as well, that, they really would be concerned about.
10: Don’t read this and think about it, read it and DO SOMETHING, then you can start building your retail business back up to where it should be.
As always I am more than happy to chat about brands that really are SALON PROFESSIONAL.
#ProForPro #SalonProfessional #FightBack #Entertain
