Salon Clouds Plus/Deposit Photos
Salon Clouds Plus/Deposit Photos

In a recent webinar, Dilan DeSilva, founder of Salon Clouds Plus, shared with us several strategies for using technology to increase retail sales. To simplify the strategies, he broke them down into four quadrants.

Quadrant One
Online: This is where customers can begin their retail purchase. According to Dilan, “Every salon and spa that’s out there should always think, even if it’s a small amount of retail you will put online, you should have some presence online.”  E-Commerce means selling your products online, and DeSilva explains that it’s important for every company to have great product photos and a simple e-commerce design.

To market the e-commerce site, his strategies include effective SEO and AdWords placement. “SEO is about more than just key words, it’s also about the speed of your site”, he continues, “so enlisting the help of a professional in this field is important.”

Quadrant Two
On Premise Sales: Customers come to you (or your kiosk) to purchase products. As DeSilva explains, kiosks are “becoming a norm for a lot of retailers,” and that is no surprise. Customers want personalization, and kiosk programs do this well. For example, a Product Match program allows customers to answer simple questions about their hair, skin type, etc., and get instant advice about the perfect product to suit their needs. Other strategies include virtual screens for makeup and digital displays.

Quadrant Three
Off-Premise: You market to customers to keep them returning to your e-commerce site or physical store/kiosk. Recommended strategies include push notifications, geo-fencing, text message (SMS) marketing, and email marketing. With so many people now using mobile devices, sending text messages targeted to buyers, especially when they are in close proximity to your store (geo-fencing), is very effective.

Dilan suggests that retailers, “think of integrating text marketing into their regular retail sales. That’s very important and I highly recommend people do that.” Email marketing campaigns should also be personalized to the customer.

Quadrant Four
On-Premise Assistance
: Your customer service providers can personally assist your customers and help them choose the right products. Although stylists tend to be shy about trying to sell products, there are tools that can help.

"The problem with today’s salons is the intake process is all paper,” he says. He suggests inputting customer information from the very beginning, so your tools can use that data to market for you and save time. “The first thing a stylist should do is start thinking of using digital consultations, because there’s a lot of data you can get from it, and it can auto-recommend products to the client instantly.” Your mobile app can include short staff training videos that help your stylists recommend products in different situations.

No matter which channels you’re focusing on, DeSilva concludes, “In every instance, it’s important to have a comprehensive marketing plan that incorporates all these elements.”

For more information about Salon Clouds Plus and their services, call 888-909-1051 or visit saloncloudsplus.com.

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