How To Encourage Regular Colour Appointments

The Lipstick Effect – the notion that women in particular turn to little luxuries in times of economic downturn – is evident in recent statistics; did you know the salon industry recorded a growth of 12.7% in estimated market value in 2022 compared to 2021?* However, colour services and appointments seem to be excluded from this growth, despite their tremendous potential. To uncover why this is the case, we need to take a closer look at our clients’ behaviours. To help with this, we’ve divided different types of clients into four different categories:

• The One Reducing Appointment Frequency
• The One With Virgin Hair
• The One Worried About The Environment
• The One Cutting Back Financially

In the article we’ll be taking a look at clients who have been reducing their appointment frequency, considering why this might be the case, and discussing how to encourage regular colour appointments.

The One Reducing Appointment Frequency

While these clients might be impacted by the economy, their colour preferences may have also changed following the pandemic; for example, many clients have admitted that they have begun reducing the frequency of their appointments as they transition to embracing their natural hair.

How to Get Clients in the Chair More Often

Some clients will be under the impression that to save costs, they need to cut down on the number of appointments they book in for. This isn’t necessarily the case, with Georgia Bell, Denman Ambassador and Owner of Society by Georgia Bell, explaining: “To help combat the cost of living crisis we’ve introduced a range of express treatments. They take less time, use less product and keep hair looking fabulous in between larger appointments – and encourage your clients to be in the salon a little more often.”

Danilo Giangreco, Owner of Danilo Hair Boutique and Revlon Creative Artist, agrees that thinking more about alternative services can be a great way to keep clients coming back regularly. He explains: “Gloss or toner treatments in between full colour services can be a great add-on service to your blow-dry or ‘colour shy’ clients. They’re a less expensive alternative to full-colour services and can add shine and enhance the existing colour of the hair without a drastic change.”

Vicky Panting, Paul Mitchell UK Technical Educator, also follows a similar approach, sharing: “I often do a ten foil placement for clients, which allows them to come back in at a lower investment and focuses on key areas, like the faceframe or parting section.”

However, there are methods beyond introducing alternative services which can also help drive your clients into the chair on a regular basis. Samantha Cusick explains: “One way to entice clients to visit the salon regularly is to highlight the benefits of colour services, such as the confidence boost, the ability to maintain a professional appearance, and that much needed pick me up when everything feels overwhelming.”

Master Your Colour Marketing

Improving your marketing is another excellent way to help encourage regular colour appointments in your salon, so we asked three experts to share their top tips.

Siobhan Haug, Co-Founder of Haug London Haus and Schwarzkopf Professional Ambassador explains: “Use the blog or journal page of your website to talk about your colour services. This is great for your SEO; when a potential client is searching google for a hair technique they are interested in, Google will hopefully serve your blog page as a source of inspiration and answer to their question.”

Charlotte Evans, ELEVEN Australia Educator and Owner of Ginger Salon, Bromsgrove, says: “To stand out from the crowd you need to discover your unique selling point – your USP. Ask yourself why your guests come to you, and if you don’t know, ask them. How do you make them feel? Why are you different? Once you have this information, you know where to focus your efforts.”

Robert Eaton, Wella’s UK & Ireland Technical Director, from Russel Eaton Salons, shares: “We create bespoke colour menus for each season. These are often printed and displayed in the salon, and we also promote them on our website and on social channels.”

*Local Data Company, January 2023 Reporting