Should You Offer Retail Products In Your Salon?

“YOU CAN HAVE EVERYTHING IN LIFE YOU WANT, IF YOU WILL JUST HELP ENOUGH OTHER PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT.” – ZIG ZIGLAR, AMERICAN AUTHOR, SALESMAN, & MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

Should retail and salon go hand and hand? Are you curious why some nails salons offer retail items like cuticle oil, hand cream, nail color and lip balm? Should you offer these products and how do you incorporate a beauty counter into your business strategy? What do retail sales have to do with it? We hash out the difference between retailing impulse buys versus intel buys and how they might affect your bottom line.

CHERRY ON TOP
We’ve been brainstorming ideas on how to pare down expenses and be more nimble. How do we work more time-wise with less? The answer is a set of curated nail care essentials. Right now, we believe nail services occupy a sacred space on the self-care spectrum. Nails have been a very accessible way to treat yourself. In person salon visits or even DIY spa mani moments, can take our minds off the piled up dishes, the homeschool, and the unknowing. With the unpredictability of business these days, nail professionals should consider the earning potential of trusted retail products. This is known as the add-on. Depending on your circumstances, it might be a stellar idea to generate passive income. Consider selling some retail products as an option, the perfect topping to your much adored nail services.

KNOW YOUR SALES STYLE
Over these past few months, ideally you’ve done a little professional soul searching. You know what parts of your services work and what could use a little boost. You can define your sales style and you know what actions you have to take to “close a deal” so to speak. For us, sales is motivated by being of service to our clients. Offer them that shelter or escape from their daily life. Some nail techs were born to sell and know how to move products off the shelves. Some find commission a fun challenge. Some prefer a strict focus on services and take a more passive approach letting the process close the sale on their behalf. Either way works if you can complete the transaction on the days you are in the salon and the days you aren’t.

CURATE THE HITS
Take a mental note of the products you already use in your service. Devoted to a particular lotion, scrub, hand cream or nail polish, go ahead and personally vouch for it. Obsessed with a base coat, top coat, super shine buffer or cuticle oil? These are the products that are going to sell themselves as a nail tech’s littler helpers. They smell divine. They keep the skin hydrated. You already keep it on hand for services, right? Whatever you do, do not bring in a full line. Retail is not the priority. Building your client base is. Retail is just an accessory; an alternative option. Customers want to buy what you’ve already vetted. You’re someone they trust. Saying yes will be easy. It’s a great way to compliment your services in between appointments. Steady and incremental sales could rake in $500 a month to cover small expenses.

GET MINI WITH IT
The simplest retail win goes down like this. Start with a free mini sample at the end of a service. Try a super shiner or cuticle oil. During the holidays and even throughout the year, retailing gift baskets of lotion and a gift certificate is something to consider. Clients want to keep their hands looking healthy and beautiful. This is a wonderful way to bring in extra income with minimal effort. Just start small. You can do it, see what works slowly by throwing in one product at time.

SUPPORT CENTER
If a full retail center is something you want to grow into, make sure to run the numbers and have the space for it. We love this idea for the natural born salesperson. Clients love a good one stop shot essential oils, hair care, lip gloss, inexpensive jewelry, etc. We talking about feel good stuff here. If you still are developing that muscle, don’t make work for yourself. Try keeping to a minimal essentials list. Remember that sometimes clients just want to support you and your professional beauty insights on products support your clients too!

**This is an adaptation from our YN Biz Talk playlist on YouTube, YN BIZ TALK: SHOULD YOU OFFER RETAIL PRODUCTS IN YOUR SALON?

***Follow our YN YouTube Channel and click here to watch the full discussion: