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Hello, June! Hopefully, wherever you’re reading this, the sun is shining and your busy season thus far has been a success. This season, I’ve been asked the same question over and over: “How do I make my lotion shelves and retail space more appealing?” This month, I’ll offer tips and tricks for creating a warm, inviting and most importantly, BUYING environment for your salon guests.
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Make your windows shine. Many small salons don’t do window displays, letting guests simply look straight into the store, or worse than that – hang curtains or blinds so that people can’t see inside. That is a mistake! Just like your eyes are the windows to your soul, store windows are the eyes of the business and each one should tell a story.
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To create an appealing display, consider getting custom window clings to promote special deals, like “Unlimited Tanning as Low as $18.88 a Month!” or “Tan Here FREE! Ask Us How!”
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Once a guest enters the salon, what do they see? Do they see a big, beautiful lotion display? Or, do they see an employee sitting behind the front counter? In the eyes of the consumer, the way products are displayed is crucial. Always remember: less is more. You should choose about 20-25 lotion SKUs (individual products) to carry. Having a limited number of items creates a high-end appearance. When you enter a high-end department store, the merchandise is nicely displayed and evenly spaced for “high-end appeal.” When you go into a bargain store, you’ll see a lot of different items all kind of thrown together, which makes nothing in particular stand out. To avoid this mistake, don’t display too many or too few products on your shelves. Having a low amount of any product gives the impression that you are running low, and that what is on the shelf is just the stuff you can’t sell. On the flip-side, having too much product gives the appearance that no particular line is better than another, and consumers will generally lose interest when looking at a cluttered display of different products and brands.
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In my opinion, 20-25 is a perfect number of products, with about 3-6 of each SKU – depending on how much space you have. Always start by putting
your high-end product line on the very top shelf. This gives that “top-shelf vibe,” almost as if it’s so special, you have to ask for that product to be brought down for you to see. Our eyes automatically go to the top and move down – so, your high-end line is the first product we want salon guests to see when walking in the door. Move down from there, ultimately putting your low-end products on the bottom shelf. I think the lotion shelves should be directly behind the counter, if there is space. That way, guests see your lotion shelves first when walking in the door, and it gives them something to look at while waiting to check in for a session.
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Utilize your counter space. When I’m on the road, I see many salons not taking advantage of their retail counter space. An easy, effective sales tool is to print your monthly special or program on nice paper and put it in a cute picture frame on the counter. This is also a great place for impulse items such as bronzing powders, lip gloss, and my favorite: a tester bottle of a popular tan extender. Place the tester with a little sign reading, “Are you skipping a step in your tanning process? Tan-extending moisturizers help to lock in results, as well as help keep your skin beautiful, healthy and hydrated.”
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Don’t consider the job finished once you’ve made your changes, either. You need to change displays every couple of weeks to create a fresh guest experience. However your salon is set up, it’s important to display the best your business has to offer and optimize your retail space to create a buying environment for your guests.
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Display the best you have to offer and optimize your
retail space to create a buying environment for your guests.
