Making retail merchandising work for your salon

Have you ever thought of how retail merchandising enticing the customer at any time to look, feel and touch the product which can be part of the selling process, askes Valerie Delforge. If you visit any retail counters, my favourite being Selfridges, as there is an abundance of displays, and the way the products are shown is by no mean an accident. Even the clothes department has carefully thought of what they needed to do in order for the customer to want to try/buy their products. So what do you need to consider for your retail merchandising? Here are your five steps to tempt your customers in your retail:

1. Window Display

If you have a window display, it is important to change it at least once a quarter. When something stays the same for a while, no one notice it any longer. However, if you change the display both customers and staff alike will take notice. It is a subliminal message that makes everyone like what you are doing with the retail merchandising. Ensure that it is well lit, ideally you want passers-by to see activities within your business so they can see that you are opened, so be aware that your window is not completely closed. Think of the window as the invite to your salon, and once in, what do they see? 

2. Shelves merchandising

It is important to understand that there is an art to retail displays.

• Not too many products so the customers think you are not selling them, or not too little so they don’t think you have a stock issue, it also looks awful both ways.
• Some retail brands have a rule of three of each product. That way they know when they sold one or when they haven’t but it has been stolen. Great rule for stock control
• Put the products you are focusing on for the quarter at eye level. It is where the customers look first and we do say: Eye level is buy level. In supermarkets, notice the products at eye levels are those they want you to choose first. The lower price product is usually at the bottom of the shelves but will you see their own brands there? Change your display regularly, you will be surprised as to the effect it can have.
• Another thing that has really worked throughout the years is shelve talkers: a price list is a must for trading standards (tags on the products or an A5 paper is fine) but what about the story of the brand? We all love a story, if a customer is looking at your products, enticing her/him to stay there longer will make her buy into the brands even more. 

3. Service area

Think of what is displayed when the customer is having their hair washed, cut or at the waiting area. We take all of these for granted but is it part of their customer journey. What do they see? What can they touch? What can they try? I have recently seen salons with a plastic holder on the mirror and the tester of the month is displayed for the customer to try. The touch and feel of the product has a powerful effect in the sales process.

4. Consultation

Obviously this is a training subject, however, I would like to give you an example of what I mean here. I was on the way to a conference, all dressed up and with the tiniest bag you can think of and was getting a blow dry on the way. The hairdresser was so good that at the consultation level. He went to get a kit that, based on a thorough consultation, I needed for my hair. He was answering all of my needs with this £48 kit and a hugely impractical box for someone who is on the way to a conference, however, I debated in my head as to why I shouldn’t take this amazing kit which will be the answer to all my hair problems. I touched, felt and read all about these products. Bearing in mind that I was traveling to Birmingham, surely a bag with products in a huge box won’t matter. When a customer holds the products you have sold it to her/him. Notice the body language with the product, if they put it down, something is bothering them so you need to find out if they want to buy them (subtly). The mistake he made? When he finished the blowdry, he took me back to reception, but he never took the products back with me. Once at reception I couldn’t see the products any longer, they were not in front of me. He lost the sale on the way to reception because I wasn’t feeling, touching and needing the products any longer. He lost the sale in a matter of a few steps as it takes second to say to yourself: “no it’s fine, another time.” My point: analyse and detail your customer journey, where is the customer losing touch with retail in their journey? It’s a bigger problem if you have a customer that experiences various services, where do they lose the sale and how can you recoup it? Maybe a basket with the recommended products could work? That is both a training and merchandising effort.

5. Reception area

There are two things to consider at reception:

• Is there a product of the month? A tester to touch and feel that product is a focus that customers can try what you are focusing on
• My favourite: The impulse buy. It should consist of small items, no more than £15 and changed every two to three weeks. A mask, a spray, a new hairband, anything that makes the customer not think it will break the bank. Notice what you can see in supermarket, retailers like Boots or M&S…. all of these things that you didn’t think you needed but surely a strawberry lip balm is the answer to my dry lips?

All of these steps are not possible without carefully planning them. This is all down to a plan of action which you should look to implement at least every quarter. Your marketing plan will include all of the displays and hero products that you want to focus on. Valerie Delforge is founder and CEO of consultancy Delforge + Co www.delforge.co