How to attract male clients to your unisex salon

Salon owner Paul Stafford, Belfast looks at how to attract male clients to your unisex salon Men shop differently to women and so, it follows, men groom differently. Received wisdom says men like to be in and out quickly, make snap decisions over purchases, are less interested in offers and don’t develop the same level of loyalty to a brand that a women does. One size does not fit all There are men who still fulfil that stereotype, but not every man is after a 15-minute haircut and you can forget the chat, thanks. We’ve always had a large male clientele, and lately we’ve seen that creeping up, pushing our overall client numbers higher and higher. But it’s not just our welcoming attitude that is responsible, although it helps. Looking outside the industry for inspiration, it seems hairdressing is not the only sector seeing a change in men’s shopping behaviour. Many of the big retailers are reporting similar experiences. Younger men are developing strong brand loyalty, they are spending money and time on services for themselves, they are more willing to use vouchers and they are making measured decisions about the best products for them. Happy to shop This new-found tolerance of shopping is down to the very different experience of younger people, growing up as part of Generation Y or the Millenials, according to behaviour experts. They grew up hanging out in shopping centres with their pals. Those old enough to be married did so at an older age than members of their parents’ generation, and their wives or live-in girlfriends work, meaning they are doing more of the shopping. They’ve learned to enjoy it. Add this to the peer-pressure to look better for longer, as championed by the likes of David Beckham and Ryan Reynolds, and we are seeing a marked shift in male behaviour. Using a good shampoo or a styling product is the norm, and grabbing a little ‘me-time’ in the salon has become a regular fixture in their lives. But as an industry we still need to be mindful of our male clients to make sure we benefit from this change. Make the services too ‘touchy-feely’ and we risk alienating the lads. Little signs matter We need to promote the little differences between the sexes. Branding must appeal to both. Without my planning it, my likes in music and fashion affected our branding very early on. Our salon is contemporary and stylish, but definitely not masculine. However, I’ve always been a bit of a mod, and my scooter parked out the front clearly sent a message to the Belfast barber-going man that my salon was okay. When they do come in the door, they may be more willing to have more services than their dad, but only those that exude an element of masculinity. We do head massages, but we use a specific male product. We offer various male treatments, with our best-selling being, of course, for thinning hair. We showcase male products in our reception area and always use them on the lads at the backwash so the smells stay with them throughout the visit. We also stick to male styling products whenever possible. And they always buy them to recreate the look at home. Yet, if you were to suggest to any of our female clients our salon was masculine, they’d laugh. We’ve all the add-on, client-centric services that mark us as, if not the, definitely one of the premier salons in the city. We make our female clients feel beautiful and we make sure they know how much we appreciate their loyalty. Using similar techniques, but different products and approaches allows us to make the men feel just as loved. Mix this in with the new attitude of younger males and you have a potent recipe for success. It’s working for us because they keep coming back and they are telling their mates about us.