The creative, passionate, art-centric salon owners run their businesses to serve their customers – period. Whether they are hair stylists, nail or makeup artists, or skin and spa treatment professionals, most of them feel that they cannot sell retail products, in addition to providing their services, to customers as a way of boosting sales.

These artists are more interested in wanting their clients to keep returning for the services they provide and feel that selling retail would somehow drive the customers away.

What they seem to forget is that salons and spas, as profitable as they may be, still qualify as businesses, which need different marketing methods to boost sales and increase ROI.

Retail sales through cross-selling products is one of the most beneficial marketing tactics used by salons worldwide in order to promote their business and stretch their bottom line.

Now, if you’re thinking that that might be it, but you just don’t see yourself as a salesperson and would rather depend on salon services only – don’t.

Retail selling doesn’t have to be manipulating, tricking, or politely or impolitely coercing clients into making useless purchases. There are far easier and more effective ways to accomplish this goal– here’s a round-up of the top five tactics.

1. Strategically Inviting Displays

When it comes to selling retail products, especially in a salon or spa, you don’t really have to put a lot of hard work into active selling. A salon is a place of business that helps enhance a person’s aesthetics. Every individual who walks through the salon’s door is, in one way or the other, influenced and affected by aesthetics.

Capitalizing on that is one of the best ways of selling retail to boost sales at your salon. Just focus on creating a visually striking, strategically placed, inviting retail display that automatically attracts customers toward the products.

We’re talking about eye-height displays to make products more accessible, with sparkling clean display areas, strategically placed right next to the checkout counter/reception desk for easy purchase. Assign a helpful representative nearby to provide helpful product information and further engage the client, as required.

2. Offer Product Bundles

Sure you know that salons offer bundle deals on services to promote sales every other month. Have you thought though that you could do the same with the retail products as well? There’s a substantial amount of profit can be made from retail selling products, so why not put some effort into the retail section of your salon and switch things around.

Create innovative product bundles by combining a collection of items that work well together – to serve a purpose or theme – and market them as such. For example, for Valentine’s Day, you could have included a couple of skincare products like bath salts or scented aphrodisiac oils with maybe your bestselling red nail polish in there for good measure.

Product bundles at a market competitive price are great deals that actually sell. And since beauty products have excellent profit margins, there are no losses you have to concern yourself with either – think about it.

3. Host In-Store Events

Beauty workshops, product launches, and informative and interactive events at the salon are a fantastic way to boost sales and drive traffic to your business. They also offer a great opportunity to increase retail sales at your salon.

There are a number of different ways to go about it. When you’re collaborating with a beauty company to host a product launch event at your salon, you can come to a mutually beneficial deal with them to offer your clients a hefty discount through a coupon or discount code.

At a beauty workshop, you can use the products you have in stock during the demonstrations, actively telling your guests that they are easily available for purchase right at the premises.

At interactive or informational events, you can offer product samples in gift bags with full-sized products available in stock for the patrons who wish to buy them.

You can even hand out samples as free gifts to the customers who come to avail your services to generate a buzz and effectively market the products.  

4. Loyalty Programs

Ah! Loyalty programs! Plausibly, the most effective marketing method ever invented.

Loyalty programs have dual benefits in that they’re profitable for businesses but equally as beneficial for consumers. To boost retail sales at your salon, where you generally offer loyalty program points for the services availed, you can also include points for each dollar spent at your establishment for purchasing products you stock for retail.

Loyalty programs through Candybar.co help you create customized digital loyalty cards for your business, where you can effectively manage the points collected and rewards available based on visits or money spent.

A well-managed, enticing loyalty program will not only serve to create loyalty within your customers and have them frequently return to you, but will also effectively boost the salon retail sales. Do check it out – they offer a free trial for the first month.

5. Sell the Experience

Why do salons spend thousands of hours and dollars into cultivating an unforgettable salon experience for clients? That’s because they realize that the lure of the experience is far greater than any other promotion might be. So why not sell the experience itself?

Train your staff to cross-sell the products used for particular services as a value-added deal. Appeal to your demographic and keep products that you use for any service or experience on-hand, and market them to your customers during or right after their services.

For example, share the benefits of the products that you are using during the hair-wash, manicure, or makeup application. During or after the service, fill in your customer about the product details that were used, why they’d be beneficial to use regularly, and then tell them how the products are available right at the salon premises for purchase. If you can, without compromising on your markup and profit, throw in the product at a bargain price, as a special on-the-spot package deal with the service they availed, only for your loyal client.

Try these tried and tested ideas out and you’ll straightaway notice an immediate boost in your salon’s retail sales, guaranteed!