Bell Tower Salon, MediSpa and Store
Wyomissing, PA
belltoweisalonspa.com
Carolyn Helms
SQUARE FEET: 8,000/700 (two locations)
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 54
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 43%
RETURN RETENTION: 88%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 5%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Bumble and bumble, Oribe
COLOR LINE: Davines
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/ Millennium
“Guests become Premiere Club members by making a one-time payment of $25 and thereafter accrue two percent of the total they spend annually. Members receive a 5-percerrt discount on retail and are the first to know about promotions. Premiere Club members also are rewarded by convenience in scheduling appointments, newsletters and personalized shopping.”
Bien Soigne
Windham, NH
biensoigne.com
Kay Charion
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 31%
RETURN RETENTION: 64%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 72%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $38
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Sukesha, Kenra, Soma
COLOR LINE: All Nutrient
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/ Millennium
“We have different expected retention rates for styling staff vs. spa staff, different expected number of weeks for return depending on the service class and different retention expectations for new and repeat clients. Knowing industry standards for retention and prebooking, we can then work with staff to set goals for meeting and exceeding these benchmarks.”
Hair on the Avenue
Sinking Spring, PA
hotasalon.com
Debbie and David Meas
SQUARE FEET: 3,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 89%
RETURN RETENTION: 97%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 90%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Redken. Redken for Men, Pureology
COLOR LINE: Redken
“We pull the files of all guests who have not been in the salon for 120 days and then send a ‘Miss You’ note along with an incentive to return. These are sent to the designer from a list provided. One week after the mailing, our educational director calls the guests and engages them in a candid conversation as to why they haven’t returned and offers his services to help the designer on the next visit.”
Josephine’s Hay Spa and Salon
Houston, TX
josephinesdayspa.com
Vivian Yeh
SQUARE FEET: 5,580/3,000 (two locations)
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 46
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 21%
RETURN RETENTION: 54%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 41%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: SalonBiz/ SpaBiz
“We offer a 10-percent discount for our guests who pre-book four or more appointments. For each referral to the salon, guests receive a $25 gift certificate to the salon. We also post last-minute appointments on Facebook and Twitter—guests who follow us can reserve the appointments for 25-percent off.”
Red 7 Salon
Chicago and Evanston, IL
red7salon.com
David Kafer and Jason Hall
SQUARE FEET: 2,700/1,450 (two locations)
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 30
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 55%
RETURN RETENTION: 67%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 45%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELUNG RETAIL LINES: Bumble and bumble, Aveda
COLOR LINES: Wella, Aveda. Redken
SALON SOFTWARE: STX
“Our loyalty program is strictly focused on referrals. If a client has three people come in to receive a service with us, then they are rewarded with 50-percent off their next visit. People want and need community and we reward clients for helping us create it each and every day.”
Attract new clients, but keep the old—one is silver, and the other gold. The following ST200 honorees earned strong retention rates for new and return clients and growing pre-booking rates by developing innovative and creative loyalty programs.
Silhouette Hair Design
Melbourne, FL
silhouettehairdesign.com
Darlyne McGee
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 26
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 25%
RETURN RETENTION: 33%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 27%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $42
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Redken, Matrix, Paul Mitchell
COLOR LINES: Redken, Matrix, Paul Mitchell
SALON SOFTWARE: STX
“We offer a number of loyalty programs our client referral program rewards $10 for each new client, our Lucky 7 card offers the seventh hair cut free, our retail card offers $10 off next purchase when a client spends $100, and we frequently offer free gift with purchase.”
Solaris
Evansville, IN
solarisaveda.com
Debbie Riegel and Arny Carter
SQUARE FEET: 2,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 38%
RETURN RETENTION: 30%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 60%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $35
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: Salon Biz
“Our ‘Shop Local’ program has done wonders for our business Our spreadsheet keeps a running tally of what clients spend, and our rewards programs are based on varying dollar amount totals Clients are notified of reward eligibility by mail, and depending on the time of year, we can be more stringent or lenient about client rewards to either create demand for the program or boost business.”
SunDay’s Salon and Spa
Laconia, NH
sundayssalonspa.com
Emily and Scott Gagnon
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 9
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 50%
RETURN RETENTION: 90%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 68%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $33
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Aveda, Paul Mitchell
COLOR LINES: Aveda, Paul Mitchell
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/Millennium
“We hosted a year-long event we called Raving Fan, where we searched for our #1 Raving Fan, defined as the existing client who referred the most new clients. Our clients were excited to spread the word, and our #1 Raving Fan received a $300 gift card at our annual holiday open house.”
Total Look Salons and Academy
Fairfield, CT
totallooksalons.com
Cher and Keith Anderson, Pamela Dvorak
SQUARE FEET: 3,500 and 2,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 39
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 48%
RETURN RETENTION: 89%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 38%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINES: Redken. Pureology
COLOR LINES: Clanol Professional, Redken, Wella
SALON SOFTWARE: Harms/Millenium
“Our managers have daily huddles updating staff on performance and then they encourage them throughout the day. We also post overall team performance and individual achievers in our lounge. And each technician receives a weekly coaching sheet reviewing key performance numbers.”
Westend Hair Co. & Day Spa
El Paso, TX
westendhaircompany.com
Gloria Viramontes and Monica Lorey
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
NEW CLIENT RETENTION: 37%
RETURN RETENTION: 79%
PRE-BOOKING RATE: 44%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL LINE: Aveda
COLOR LINE: Aveda
SALON SOFTWARE: SalonBiz
“We implemented a valuable system called The Perfect 10. It works by having our clients prebook their next appointment. It they do not modify, move or change the appointment, they are rewarded with 10-percent off their appointment. Our clients love it and it has definitely increased out pre-booking percentage.”
Additional Honorees
Appearances Hair Color and Design Studio, Westminster, CO
Avalon Salon and Day Spa, Deer Park, IL
Ginger Bay Salon and Spa, St. Louis, MO
Lemon Lime, Cohasset, MA
Mango Salon, Richmond, VA
Maximum FX Salons Spas, Austin, TX
Satori: A Salon/Spa/Shopping Experience, Ithaca, NY
Valentino’s Grande Salon, Whitby, Ontario
The Hair Company, Leonardtown, MD
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