If you have a beauty salon and want to know how you can improve your business's performance, this article is for you.
The aesthetics and beauty sector continues to see significant growth in most countries, but in practice, it's not always easy to find the right balance between the investment made and the returns we see after a certain period of activity.
Is a beauty salon profitable?
Today we want to share some tips to help you improve the profitability of your beauty business.
Get to know and analyse your client
It may seem obvious, but it's essential for properly managing your services and focusing appropriately, and it's not always done with the necessary level of detail.
We're not just talking about knowing who your target client is in order to focus your marketing campaigns and the service portfolio you'll offer, but about analysing your client to understand their behaviour: which services they request most, which ones they return for and which they don't, how often they visit us, which days they visit most, etc.
All these variables will help us get to know our most loyal client, and that's where we should focus our strategy: it's a proven fact that regular clients are willing to spend between 60% and 70% more at your business than a new client, and that's something to take advantage of.
So, make strategic decisions based on the results of that detailed analysis of your regular client: adapt your services, hours, etc. according to their demand. For example, if the most popular services at your salon are eyebrow-related, focus on that: you can expand your eyebrow service menu, create packages with several services, improve the area where you carry them out and create a lovely “brow bar”, offer complementary products to your clients for aftercare...
Build loyalty to improve the profitability of your beauty salon
In line with what we mentioned in the previous point, precisely because a loyal client is very likely to buy more from us or try new services, building loyalty is essential.
You can create your own Loyalty Programme, where in exchange for points earned through their visits, you offer them the chance to try new services or receive a gift.
At this point it's important for the programme's conditions to be clear and simple, to make it easy for clients to participate, and for them to see results in the form of gifts or extra services within a short period so they don't lose interest.
Create experiences and rituals as part of customer service
Something that can set you apart from the competition and help with the loyalty-building we mentioned earlier is creating an experience around the visit to your salon.
- Upon walking through the door, the client values the welcome (a smile, friendliness, knowing their name and the treatment they're about to receive) and the comfort of the space where they wait to be seen.
- In the treatment room, the client values comfort and details such as the music, the scent, the tidiness, the space being attractive, as well as the treatment itself: being personalised, the use of modern equipment, the latest trends, or the finishing touch of a relaxing massage to close off that “beauty moment”.
- At the farewell, the client once again values personalised attention, with gestures such as helping them put their coat on, clearly explaining the aftercare, offering them a gift product that complements the service, and finally, booking the next appointment.
Overall, from the moment they walk through the door, your clients should feel that they're unique and special, and that they're going to have an experience that will help them not only look better, but also feel better. It's their moment.
Encourage participation and open the doors of your salon
Open-house events, “beauty parties”, special days to launch a new product or to discover and try a new service, are highly valued by your clients because, by inviting them, they'll feel special, as if they're part of something unique and exclusive. This type of event will help you build loyalty, sell more, and get you noticed by new clients.
It's important for them to be well organised, with details such as offering coffee or a cocktail, demonstrations, some kind of gift... and it's best to hold them with limited capacity so everyone can be attended to and every attendee can try the product or service. Exclusivity matters here.
If everything goes as expected, you can always repeat the event with a different group later on.
Encourage cross-selling
One way to increase your salon's average ticket is to encourage cross-selling, meaning offering products or services that complement the treatment each client is going to have. You can offer complementary services when the appointment is booked, or create service packages, such as a “Look Design” package that could include lash lift, waxing and eyebrow design, and henna colouring.
Cosmetic products for home use are best offered during the treatment or once it's finished.
At this point, we recommend that you don't be insistent or “pressure” your client into purchasing that additional product or service, because even if they do so in the moment, you'll get the opposite effect, meaning they won't leave happy and won't want to come back. This is where empathy, client knowledge and your staff's sales marketing techniques matter.
If you have any questions about our services, products, how to apply them or how to put together Packs, etc. you can request personalised advice from our experts to ask whatever you need and get guidance on running your business. We'll be happy to help you.
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