Launching own brand product ranges
With manufacturers spending billions of pounds each year promoting their products and brands, the message is clear - branding is big business, and if you can create a brand people trust you are on to a winner.
One way of raising brand awareness is by stocking your own line of products with your salon name splashed across the packaging, which might not be as pricey as it sounds.
Martin Unerman, director of personalised branding company, Brand-ID, believes salons have nothing to lose and everything to gain by retailing their own branded products.
"Stocking your own-brand products means a salon will be truly independent, and not merely a clone of many other salons in its area," he says.
Having your salon name on your retail products, means that when clients are washing or styling their hair at home, your salon's name will be on display, which reminds them to make an appointment to visit your salon and reinforces the message that yours is a professional business with its own product line.
"Another important advantage of a salon stocking its own-brand products is profit," adds Martin. "The profit margin made in selling own-brand products is typically much larger than traditional suppliers. The larger profit margin is not achieved by sacrificing quality, but by having a much shorter supply chain with fewer people involved."
Stocking personalised products doesn't mean you should stop supplying popular brands, it can be an additional range which gives your clients more choice.
If you are considering stocking own-branded products it's essential to do some research and make sure the product is of superior quality; putting your name to something that doesn't work or isn't good value for money will be detrimental to your business.
"The most important consideration for the salon owner should be the quality of their own-brand products. It must be as good as, if not better than, other comparable products and must be a true reflection of the salon's goals and values," concludes Martin.
Brand-ID
If you're retailing straightening irons, you might want to check out Brand-ID, which creates professional, exclusively-designed electrical hairdressing tools, point-of-sale and marketing materials. Its Professional Styler offers all the functions you'd expect from a top-of-the-range heated styler, and you can have your salon's logo printed onto it.
The minimum order is 40 units, and the basic price for a 'blank' product in a 'blank' box is £29.99 +VAT. It's then up to you to choose from the different combinations of printing, branding, packaging and product insert options. If all the available options are chosen then the highest price per unit is £45 +VAT.
Contact: 01923 291 797 or www.brand-id.co.uk
Feel For Hair
Its Created For You collection is a sleek range of three best-selling products; carving clay, moulding cream and shaping mud, that can be personalised with your salon logo.
There is an introductory pack worth £225, which it is currently selling for £150. After that, minimum orders are £50.
Contact: 01283 585656 or www.feelforhair.co.uk
High Energy
High Energy offers personalised shampoos, conditioners and styling products based on best-selling products.
However, if you prefer, these can be formulated to your own specification. As well as haircare, its portfolio includes personalised sweets and hairdressing scissors, which can be laser engraved.
It has a minimum order of 250 of each product, or 50 pairs of scissors. With so many product combinations available, orders are individually quoted depending on your requirement.
Contact: 020 8551 4808 or www.highenergy.co.uk
Jollybranding
Jollybranding offers just about every personalised product a salon could need, including gowns, towels, aprons, cups and saucers, utility pouches, door mats, carrier bags, clothing, umbrellas, signs and stationery.
There are no minimum orders, but the more you order, the cheaper the price. It offers a free design service to get you started and will embroider, screen print or sublimate your logo to its products.
Prices are highly competitive, with 10 embroidered gowns costing £140, personalised t-shirts £8, or 100 personalised umbrellas for £250.
Contact: 023 9245 6692 or www.jollybranding.co.uk
Options
Options manufactures everything from shampoo to styling products. It claims its products are the top end of the market and comparable in quality to some of the world's best manufacturers.
The company says it doesn't just add a logo, but fully prints the products with your designs and ideas. You can even change the product name and instructions.
Choose from a range of contemporary recyclable packaging, with prices starting from £1.90. The minimum order is low and you can buy just 12 pieces of any combination of products.
If you want to sample its products, Options will fully brand two pieces of your choice for £10, including VAT and post & packaging.
Contact: 01424 855779 or www.optionsltd.co.uk
Branding on HJi
