One of the most challenging management tasks in the salon is to motivate staff members to retail products, but those who succeed quickly discover a sure path to higher profits. To challenge applicants in this category, we asked them to put together a presentation of their top retailing strategies, including outlining their top campaigns, sharing programs for educating clients and explaining any in-salon retail competitions to inspire staff.
Adora Salon
Oceanside, CA
adorasalon.com
Bradley Wood and Bill Lavender
SQUARE FEET: 2714
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 19
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $17.11
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 22%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millenium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Our staff offered complimentary Invati revitalizing treatments to any clients who could benefit from a hair-thickening solution. This gave staff an avenue to discuss the product’s benefits and at the end of the appointment clients could feel an immediate difference.”
Brown and DeLine
Ann Arbor, MI
brownanddeline.com
Cathrine Issel
SQUARE FEET: 3800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 53
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $34.89
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 12%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $35
BEST SELLING RETAIL: TIGI, Moroccanoil, Aveda
COLOR: Kemon, Redken, TiGi
TECH SUPPORT: Millenium, Demandforce, Constant Contact, Spaboom
ASSOCIATIONS: NCA
“We encourage stylists to try new products on each other and the support team. It’s a great way to educate the staff and get people excited about the products.”
Centre Salon, Fashion Place
Murray, UT
centresalon.com
James F. Pacifico
SQUARE FEET: 1400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $30
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 61%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $32
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, SpaBiz, Demandforce
“We use one of our iPads to loop educational videos in our retail area, so our guests can learn more about our products and the stories behind them.”
Euphoria Salon and Day Spa
St. Petersburg, FL
EuphoriaSalonandDaySpa.com
Joseph and Tonya Goodrich
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $11.19
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 17%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $42
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, Constant Contact
ASSOCIATIONS: BIC
“One fun display we did was for Redken for Men’s Clean Brew, which came in beer-bottle shaped packaging. We cleared a space near men’s products, place some astroturf on the shelf, two large beer mugs mext to beef jerkey and chips with a football and a riser. We had more men buy shampoo at that launch than ever!”
Jón Alan Salon
Nashville, TN
jonalansalon.com
Jón & Alan Snetman
SQUARE FEET: 3200, 1908, 4500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $16.50
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 23%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST SELLING RETAIL: AVEDA
COLOR: AVEDA
TECH SUPPORT: STX
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PBA
“We provide service providers with an iPod Touch, which allows them to quickly access a guest’s retail history and make recommendations based on previous purchases and current needs. We also create video tutorials with hair, skin, and makeup tips using our products and share them via Facebook.. Using the iPods, staff can quickly pull up the tutorials and use them for guest education.”
Maggie The Salon
Pembroke Pines, FL
Maggiesalon.com
Maggie DiFalco
SQUARE FEET: 2310
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $15.25
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 18%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Eufora and Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, NCA, PBA, ESON
“We role-play consultations and show stylists how to hold the products, talk about them and then place them at the front desk when the service is finished. It is all a part of the steps to financial success we use in the salon every day.”
Michael Helene Salon Gallery
Dulles, VA
michaelhelenesalon.com
Michael Phillips
SQUARE FEET: 2500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $70
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $31
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 15%
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Davines, J Beverly Hills, Kevin Murphy
COLOR: Davines, J Beverly Hills, Kevin Murphy
TECH SUPPORT: Millenium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: The Day Spa Assocation, Intercoiffure, ISBN, NCA, PBA
“All staff are required to comple our Retail 101 class. We go over every individual product, use them, touch them, play with them in wet and dry hair and on each other. We discuss psychology, why consumer buy, why they don’t, and how to consult a client on what they are using.”
Pure Salon Spa
Louisville, KY
puresalon-spa.com
Laura Watkins
SQUARE FEET: 1644
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $15.48
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 29%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $39
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Biz, Demandforce
“The staff loves to compete and be rewarded for their retail sales. The two incentives that work for us are education dollars and cash prizes.”
Salon Biyoshi
Knoxville, TN
salonbiyoshi.com
Brandon Harris, Mary Harris, Nancy Watkins, David Watkins
SQUARE FEET: 4,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 26
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $12
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 14%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $52
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology, Coppola Keratin
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, Demandforce, Stylenet
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“To motivate staff to retail, we used Bingo boards which featured key products, and staff were able to win prizes, such as gift cards and jewelry. We also offered a weekly motivation of Rock Star Parking, giving two staff members with the highest percentages two of the best parking spots.”
Salon Red
Atlanta, GA
salonred.com
Jessica Soler
SQUARE FEET: 3500, 1000, 1600, 1500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 75
AVERAGE RETAIL $/TICKET: $60.06
RETAIL AS % OF SALES: 15%
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $56
BEST SELLING RETAIL: Bumble and bumble, Oribe
COLOR: Wella
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Twice a month the Salon Red Blog features a product from one of the two product lines we carry. These features allow us to discuss certain products in depth and give our clients ‘the inside scoop’ on items they may not have tried before.
Additional Honorees
Aveda Institute, Denver, Denver, CO
Blo, Raleigh, NC
Cutting Loose Salon, University Park, FL
Mane Attraction Salon, Phoenix, AX
Nurtur the Salon and Spa, Columbus, OH
RED 7 SALON, Chicago, IL
The Hair Company, Leonardtown, MD
Urban Betty, Austin, TX
Von Anthony Salon, Frisco, TX
