2. Infectious Atmosphere
Did you know that the first impression
of your salon is made within the first
ten seconds of someone walking
through your door? your goal, then, is
to immediately attract them through
their senses: sight, smell, taste, touch
and hearing. over 80 percent of what a
person remembers is through sight.
What is the first thing your customer
sees when they walk through the front
door?
Take time to walk through your
own entrance. Look at a 45-degree
angle to your right as you walk in,
because that is exactly what your
clients will do. What’s there? retail
product placement in this area is
shown to be best for your highest-
turning, highest-gross-margin items.
Take advantage of it and make it work
as a sales magnet.
additionally, creating a display of
fresh flowers on a table at the doorway
entrance, playing soft music and
burning scented candles creates a
“decompression zone,” signaling that
your retail space is an area where
guests can relax and enjoy the
experience.
3. Astonishing Retail
Merchandise Displays
your retail merchandising is not just
about “housing” merchandise, but
about displaying it in such a way that
your customers want to relax and
spend both time and money.
according to a 2018 iSPa Snapshot
Survey, a majority of spas derive more
than 10 percent of their revenue from
retail sales—and some even get over
25 percent of their revenue this way!
“My mantra is
to make sure
every product
you sell has
earned its right
to be there; if not,
get rid of it.”
one of the biggest retail categories
for spas is apparel, according to that
same survey. apparel can be one of the
biggest profit margin items in your
entire salon, so it’s important to give it
the correct amount of space and
merchandise it effectively.
focus on these six principles:
l attract attention through design
l Keep your shelves clean and well-
stocked
l utilize bright, clear lighting
l monitor your inventory
l Place merchandise from “knees to
shoulders”; avoid bending over to
get products
l Provide access to mirrors if you sell
jewelry or apparel
There also a number of common
errors to avoid when displaying your
product, like having too much or too
little product on display; having too
many props; changing inventory too
infrequently; and grouping products in
an unintuitive way.
4. Retail Inventory Control
Becoming a true retail merchant isn’t
as easy as one would think, but, if
done well, it can add extra profit to
your coffers. The foundation of good
retailing is knowing your customers’
wants and needs, buying the right
merchandise, pricing it to sell, having a
dedicated place to display it and
reacting quickly when the merchandise
stops selling.
The last part of that series is critical.
use a software program to keep track
of vendors, as well as amount
purchased and amount sold over a
specific period. it’s also good to
calculate what percentage of the
business is directly related to retail.
Be aware of how much square
footage is dedicated to retail and how
much business is done in that area,
even if it is just on a counter or simple
shelving.
my mantra is to make sure every
product you sell has earned its right to
be there; if not, get rid of it.
5. Unpredictable Events
Events are retail business builders.
Entice customers and they will come.
it’s not the “expected” events, but the
unusual events that make the
customers say, “i can’t miss that.” if
you have a unique idea, market it
everywhere your customer is. Planning
is key. ask yourself: what is the retail
product or service you will focus on?
how will you market it? how many
people will it draw and how much staff
should you have on hand? What is the
projected “return on experience?”
These retail business strategies
work together to create Woma, “Word
of mouth advertising”. unique items,
dynamic ways to display them, and
special events staring your super hero
employees will create that contagious
experience that your clients will want
to share with everyone they know. n
ANNE OBARSKI is an award-winning speaker on merchandising, retail and customer service. She led an
education session on maximizing retail potential at the 2018 ISPa conference & Expo.
march
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