your services are what they really want. This way, your
client can take your card with all the necessary information on it and pass it on as part of their “wish list.” This
seems to work especially well with a service like extensions, which can be a splurge, but at holiday time might
become the perfect gift. Kelly offers a different possibility: “I’ve had clients treat their loved ones with gift
cards, which is always a thoughtful customized gift.”
For the Beauty Supply Owner
If you’re a beauty
supply store owner
who wants to bring
customers in the door
and then drive sales
by helping them find
the perfect holiday
supplies for themselves and the perfect
gifts for family and
friends, then you’ll
need a slightly different strategy. Store
owners across the
Travis Johng
country reported to
the CosmoBiz team
that with the increase of online shopping in the last decade, they’ve seen a drop in holiday sales in-store. Sam
Hwang of Charmiss Beauty Supply in New Jersey told
us that Black Friday is not necessarily a good target for
holiday sales and Peter Kim of Essence Beauty Supply,
Cleveland, OH, agrees, saying that people prefer to shop
at malls, big box stores, and places like Best Buy on
that day. Travis Johng reports that customers still may
not have returned to normal spending levels since the
2008 recession. So what can you do to drive sales in
your store this season?
We found in our research that the number one
tool that beauty supply store owners should be
using more effectively is marketing. Let people
know you’re out there. One store owner, Kumsook Yang (SUE’S Beauty Supply, OK) told us
that she recently invested in a billboard ad near
her store. Since then, she’s seen a nice increase in
store traffic, and she plans to use the ad space to
let people know about her holiday sales as well.
Consider other advertising opportunities as well:
local mail or email campaigns announcing your
holiday sales or just reminding customers you’re
there and that you have great gifts for the holidays. And, of course, don’t just market your products as gifts. Show the customer what products
you’ve got and which ones she needs to look her
best for all of her holiday events. Again, include
visual inspiration in your marketing. Show hair
and beauty looks in your campaigns that she’ll want to
replicate. Show her what she could loo k like, and you’ll
have customers bringing in your flyers asking for the
products that will give them that look.
Holiday marketing extends beyond advertising your
sales, though. Travis Johng, beauty industry expert, suggests that creating a festive mood in your store can go a
long way toward creating an atmosphere that’s conducive to buying. Try to help get people into the holiday
spirit. If they feel it, they’ll be more inclined to think
about what they need to buy for the holidays while in
the store. In short: decorate, play holiday music, greet
customers by saying “happy holidays,” etc. This also
includes creating displays that suggest to the customer
what she may want to buy as a gift or for herself. Set
up a table with nice tools or extra special hair that she
wouldn’t normally take home but that she might consider buying as a gift or as a holiday treat for herself. You
may also want to set up displays of “stocking stuffer”
items near the check-out counter. Speak to your customers about who they still need to buy for, and make
suggestions.
It may seem obvious, but don’t forget to be strategic in your sales too. Byungkwan Ahn (Golden Beauty
Supply, Memphis, TN) points out that it’s effective to
put more expensive hair products in sale packages. Try
putting Remy hair out for buy one get the second half
off, for example, or bundle three hair packs for a discount. Nice tools are an option for sale items as well;
things people don’t normally buy during the year due
to their price but that when offered for a small discount
can be marketed as a nice gift. If you have good wrapping skills, you could even offer free gift wrapping as
an incentive.
Whatever the tactic, don’t let the season pass without
taking advantage of potential for growing your business—and helping people celebrate at the same time.
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