To retail or not to retail?

To retail or not to retail? It’s the question I get asked frequently from salon owners who are struggling with:

1. Staff who aren’t recommending product to clients.
2. Competing with online browsing from clients whilst in salon.
3. Online websites that offer great discounts.
4. Amazon.
5. Mass market migration, salon brands available in giant high street stores and their websites.

All could be valid objections as to why  salons should just ditch retail as a part of their service, but only when all possible avenues have been  looked at, and here’s the truth, all those avenues haven’t been checked out! Successful retailers know how to make their product offering appealing and exciting to clients. 

Browse through this blog and there are posts that share ideas and concepts that can, if implemented, help salons reclaim their rightful retail stamp of authority, because ultimately that’s what retail is all about, it’s the authoritative stamp of experience and expert advice shared from stylist to client. 

I can never say this too many times – HAIRDRESSERS AND BARBERS ARE THE ONLY HAIR EXPERTS THE GENERAL PUBLIC (CLIENTS) COME INTO CONTACT WITH! For sure they can read information online and in stores, but it’s generalised information, the kind of stuff you read and make a decision about without ever really knowing if you are making the right choice. It’s like shopping on Shein or Temu for clothing, ordering the size you think is best for you only to discover when it arrives that it’s either way too big, or small enough to fit Barbie or Ken, plus the fabric isn’t what you were expecting! That’s (just one downside of) shopping online for you.

Clients might very well browse the products from your salon and find them cheaper elsewhere, it’s just a fact of life, but it’s one that has been addressed here many times before, go have a browse and check out previous posts to see how to deal with this situation.

And yet the best route is to go visit those different avenues, and meet the challenge head on. Here’s 5 top tips to think about:

1. Staff who aren’t recommending product to clients. EDUCATE EDUCATE, EDUCATE SOME MORE, AND SET INCENTIVES THAT FIT THEIR GENERATIONAL WANTS AND NEEDS.
2. Competing with online browsing from clients whilst in salon. AS A ONE OFF, PRICE MATCH AND MAKE THE CLIENT AWARE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE THEY ARE APPRECIATED FOR SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS.
3. Online websites that offer great discounts. CREATE A LOYALTY SCHEME THAT OFFERS REWARDS (SALON SERVICES) FOR PURCHASING RETAIL FROM YOU.
4. Amazon: IN THE WORDS OF ARIEL, “LET IT GO”, YOU CANNOT COMPETE WITH THIS BEHEMOTH, BUT TO HELP COMBAT IT, SET UP YOUR OWN E-COMMERCE PLATFORM.
5. Mass market migration, their brands available in giant high street stores and their websites. CARRY PRODUCT RANGES THAT CREATE A POINT OF DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR SALON, YOUR TEAM AND YOUR CLIENTS.

As always, I’m more than happy to discuss brands that are available for salon Use that offer a more bespoke, unique retail proposition.

#SalonProfessional #ProForPro #MySoapbox #RetailIsImportant