Client Retention Guidebook
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Why Your Salon Should Target Men
It’s time to take off the blinders and re-think our roles in the Business of Beauty. Our view should not be limited to cutting hair, nails and spa services. It most certainly should not be focused solely on women.What are we missing? ...
March 30, 2016
3 min to read
It’s time to take off the blinders and re-think our roles in the Business of Beauty. Our view should not be limited to cutting hair, nails and spa services. It most certainly should not be focused solely on women.
What are we missing? Fashion. And Men.
We gravitate to women because our culture tells us that women are the ones who care most about beauty and being beautiful. Couture clothing, perfectly-styled hair, radiant skin and perfect nails all add up to Beauty. But even though fashion and beauty apply to men too, they have been left out of the discussion. Men fill the empty chairs. They come in because they NEED a haircut and that’s it. Or is it?
New research published by public relations firm Boutique@Ogilvy found that men spend more money than women on clothing. “Menswear sales are expected to grow 8.3% by 2017 to $110.3 billion, according to the study, outpacing the expected 4.2% growth in womenswear.” The survey also found that men on average spend $85 each month on clothes and accessories, $10 a month more than women.
According to Retail Dive, the mobile dashboard for retail industry professionals that curates the industry's most important news, trends, social commentary, and technology, “Evidence of men taking greater care – and spending greater amounts of money – on apparel, shoes and accessories may be the sign of a new phenomenon.” Julie Rath, a men’s style consultant, told the Wall Street Journal that she does find more men who in the past might have been satisfied with basics to be more interested in and willing to try things they may have never considered before.
Let’s translate that into the salon and spa world. If salons and spas continue to treat men like chair fillers, picking up a few quick bucks while keeping the seat warm for the next lady, those businesses are functioning in the Age of Yesterday and are potentially losing money on every male guest who walks in.
Although this men’s trend is happening across multiple cohort generations, our focus should be directed toward Millennials. Our marketing suggestions to take advantage of the men’s grooming trend are:
Begin treating men as valuable guests.
Reserve a special chair or two for men, maybe near the back to offer a little space from the ladies and make them feel more comfortable.
Redo your menu to create a men’s section with more than a haircut listing. Beard trimming and grooming should be added to your services, if it isn’t there already.
Explore the many new men’s grooming products available through your distributor and expand your on-shelf selection.
If you are sending generic emails that are generally female oriented, consider a men’s version targeting their needs and wants.
Our research has shown that men are more loyal than females and come in more often, but they will migrate, looking for salons and spas that are most understanding of their overall grooming needs.
Take advantage of this research and open your door to new opportunities to grow your business.
Group 3 Marketing is a digital marketing agency that offers a dynamic marketing initiative for salons and spas called CONNECTPlus™. Its objective is to help salons and spas stay connected with their guests, delivering the right message to the right guest through the right channel and the right time. There is no better marketing tool than CONNECTPlus™ to build retention and grow sales from your current guests. For more information, call us at 1-888-571-6554 or email them at info@group3marketing.com.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
Success Grown from Within
Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
How Salon Leaders Can Process the Pain and Lead Forward When a Team Members Leaves Unethically
In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.
How AI Is Closing Revenue Gaps for Salons and Spas
The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Premium Talent Magnet: The Modern Salon Playbook for Attracting Six-Figure Stylists
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Five Revenue Leaks Hiding in Your Salon
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
by Stacey Soble
Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce
In a world dominated by e-commerce, salon owners push back with proven strategies to increase retail sales while motivating team members to educate their clientele and delighting clients with retail-themed events and clever merchandising displays.
by Stacey Soble
The Harper Ellis Hair Co. Certification Program Teaches Stylists a Smarter, Safer Way to Install Extensions
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
by Staff
The Micro-Salon Blueprint: How Kat Scott Quadrupled Income by Maximizing Her Suite
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
by Staff
Competing for Revenue: Veteran Business Owner Shares a Framework for Growth
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
by Staff
Built to Sell: How One Owner Turned Zero Salon Experience into a Multimillion-Dollar Exit
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
Shedding Light on Solar Tax Credits for Your Beauty Business
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
The Salon Ghost Report: Stop Wasting Hours Chasing Unqualified Applicants
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
When the Client ISN'T Right!
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
by Stacey Soble
2026 Beauty & Wellness Summer Marketing Calendar
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI in Beauty: What It Means for Your Team, Your Clients, and Your Business
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest