The salon industry was hit hard by COVID-19. Most salons had to close, then when they were able to reopen, their capacity was lowered and the way they do business has had to change. While some salons have been able to be open for months, in other parts of our country, some salons have only been able to open this past week. One thing they all have in common, however, is this “new norm” that includes limited capacity, social distancing, mask-wearing, contactless check-in and check-out, and other safety precautions.

In order to look ahead to the holiday season (which is also our flu season), we feel it’s important to be ready for less in-store shopping and more online and gift card type shopping experiences. A revised selling strategy that includes retail products, eCommerce, and gift card sales are key to your salon’s success!

Salon retail sales. We all know that retail sales in your salon are important for educating your clients about your professional products – teaching them which products to use to keep their hair as healthy and great-looking as when they leave the salon – but it also helps boost your salon’s revenue. While guests are waiting for their appointment, give them the opportunity to order their favorite products online, then have the products bagged and ready before they leave the salon. This will reduce the time spent lingering in the salon and will give them the personalized service that they will appreciate.

Retail and eCommerce diversity. An idea that will work great, either for those who are looking for gifts to buy and have sent to loved ones or for those looking for an ensemble of hair care products, is to put together self-care or pampering gift sets that are available both in the salon and on your eCommerce site. These can be products from one collection line, products that complement a certain hair type, or a set of products aimed to pamper. Bundling means that they would be sold at a special price, which is a quick and easy way for someone who is looking for a gift to find a bundle that fits within their budget.

Gift card sales. With social distancing, gift cards are a great way to send someone a gift or token of appreciation. Gift cards that can be used in the salon for hair services & products, or can be used online to boost online sales, are a great option any time of year.

Be sure to have gift cards easily accessible on your eCommerce store so that clients have the option to purchase gift cards along with any products they will purchase online and receive as they are checking out from their appointment. That way, the purchase is instant and they will have a physical card to give to someone as a gift immediately.

Another reason to have gift cards accessible for purchase on your eCommerce store is so that someone can purchase a gift card and have it emailed to a person of their choice, all from the convenience of their mobile device.

With so much social distancing, gift card sales are predicted to soar this season. Consider a promotion where when someone buys $100 in retail products, they receive a gift card of $20 off future purchases, which will drive future sales.

Build sales with anticipation. Use your social media platforms to build anticipation with your clients about sales and promotions. This is a great way to begin pushing interest in your pre-packaged gift sets and gift cards. Post on Facebook and Instagram that a big promo is coming. Share a countdown, give teasers, and show high-resolution photos of your offerings.

Let them know how much they will save by purchasing the gift set versus each product individually and let them know that gift sets are limited to availability and won’t last forever. Giving a sense of urgency will make your clients think about who they can purchase that gift for before it’s too late.

These tactics work well not only for gift sets in your eCommerce store but also for services within your salon. Use social media to highlight add-on services that are quick and easy to do while they are at the salon, and by offering a “deal” they will be more apt to take advantage of it before the offer ends. Create special pricing for it and let them know the value of the services to reiterate the savings they are getting.

If you need help with social media marketing, email marketing, strategizing your sales and revenue, building an eCommerce store, or more, give SalonCloudsPlus a call today at (866) 654 -8009, email us at app@webappclouds.com, or connect with us using our online form. SalonCloudsPlus can help jumpstart your business through innovative solutions.