6 Ways To Sell More Holiday Salon Retail

Fun Fact: During the holiday season, many businesses do 60% or more of their sales for the entire year.

This means retail is a huge opportunity for you to increase your bottom line without spending more hours behind the chair. So even if you're never dabbled in the retail game before, there is no better time to hop on the train than when sales are at an all-time high.

The best part? As a Solapreneur, you get to choose the products you not only use, but sell, and keep 100% of your profits.

Take advantage of the holiday splurge-fest and give yourself the end-of-year business boost you deserve with these holiday retailing tips:

1. Create Festive Retail-Focused Displays

It is the time of year to put out special holiday displays featuring gift sets and packaged deals to get people doing their holiday shopping in your salon. Not only is it a great opportunity for people to treat their friends and family, but it is also a good time for people to treat themselves! Remind your clients that they, too, deserve a little extra pampering around the holiday season. After all, the past couple of years have been challenging for everyone. Who couldn’t use a little retail therapy with self-care products from the salon?

Retail hack: Order all your holiday retail (and backbar!) on BeautyHive.com. Save valuable time making trips to the beauty supply store while earning rewards and deals. Offering your clients the gift of retail has never been easier... Sign up to experience the beauty of BeautyHive!

(@chaunceyjohnston @cosmicheartsalon)

2. Decorate with Retail

It’s always fun to get in the holiday spirit by turning your salon into a festive oasis. Even if you don't love going all out on holiday salon makeovers, you can still get in the holiday spirit with some peppermint candies, festive lights and holiday music. If you can draw attention to your retail with some festive decor, your clients won't be able to help but look at your seasonal offerings. Create signs that call out any holiday specials you have running and remind clients that gift cards make great holiday gifts for local friends and family! Hang these around your salon where you know will already be catching people's attention. 

Use the freedom you have at Sola to show off your one-of-a-kind personality while giving your average ticket a boost. 

(@hairby_maryssa)

3. Ready-To-Open Gift Sets

When clients are in your chair, ask them, "Who are you shopping for this holiday season?" and when they tell you, recommend products or gift baskets that could work for those loved ones on their shopping list. Not only will you save them the time and hassle of having to deal with the holiday shopping madness or post-office delays from shopping online, but you could potentially turn them on to new products they've never thought to buy before.

Gift sets are an economical and easy way to give the gift of self-care. People are often on a time crunch during the holidays, so when they make time to go to the salon, what a great way to sneak holiday shopping into their day!?

(@amberm_redken)

Retail around the holidays is also a fun way to promote your business to your clients' friends and family. Think about custom wrapping if you tend to get a lot of gifting business around the holidays. A sticker with your salon logo or a business card with booking information could go a long way inside of a gift from a friend. When a client swears by your services and gifts something from your salon, they are giving you a major referral moment!

(@evel12_hairstudio)

You can also offer discounts or specials for purchasing multiple gift sets. Put out a sign or mention when they are listing the people on their holiday shopping list, "Shopping for mom, sister, best friend and daughter? Buy three gift sets and get the fourth free!" This may encourage clients to spend a little more than they were planning in your salon in order to save time and money in the long run. Make sure that whatever special you offer doesn't hurt your bottom line. You should be marking up gift baskets enough that you can still profit with any deal you offer. 

4. Holiday Specials

Try to incorporate your products into services by offering a special deal on a product when purchased with particular services that are popular around the holidays. For example, if deep conditioning treatments or blow drys are a common service you provide, offer a discounted take-home leave-in treatment or blow-dry spray to continue the results at home. You can get creative in naming these like a “Winter Hair Self-Care Package” or a “Holiday Blow Out Special” so that they realize these are seasonal, and therefore time-sensitive, offers.

(@novabeauty.bar)

5. Offer Product Samples as Gifts

We love the idea of gifting to your clients around the holidays. If you have ever been given a lot of sample sizes from an event or company, or perhaps you had a bunch that never sold, this is a good time of year to use them up and make space for something new. Sample sizes are the best promotions to get people hooked on a new product.

2021 Face of Sola Kim Pags gifts her clients a travel-size hair product or serum as a way to thank them for their loyalty, but also to allow them to try something new that might just become their new favorite product. When they return, they are out and ready to purchase the full-sized product! 

(@journee_stylingsalon)

6. Market Your Holiday Retail

Use social media posts and text and email blasts to announce your holiday deals. This way, your clients can prep their shopping spree before they come in for their holiday appointment. Some people may not think of the salon as a place to do their holiday shopping, but if you are showing them gift sets and using language like, “gift of self-care,” or “liquid love,” they’ll begin to associate your salon with an opportunity to splurge on loved ones with products that they know and love. They might even book an appointment over the holidays specifically to take advantage of your holiday specials.

(@jessicamariehairco)

Remember that your holiday displays can go a long way in drumming up the holiday spirit. The more holiday spirit you bring, the more your clients will think about holiday gifts while they sit in your chair. If they can leave your salon with a few gifts checked off their “nice” list, they’ll be able to cross one more thing off their to-do list, while leaving with a fresh new look...*cue sigh of relief*!