How to retail make-up in your salon

Make-up is an extremely lucrative revenue stream for beauty professionals in many ways; especially through retailing.

Mintel has reported that online sales of beauty products have increased by 11.4% this year, so as fewer consumers head to shopping centres to purchase make-up items, seize the opportunity to become a one-stop shop for their beauty treatment and retail needs.

“Clients are always looking for a little treat and sometimes gifts for friends; going above and beyond will set you apart from the competition,” explains Louella Belle brand ambassador, Tabby Castro. “Retailing make-up products is a great way to show that you’re on trend, not to mention it brings in more revenue.”

Make-up and nails go hand-in-hand – both offering an instant visual result and the ability to be used as a way to accessorise. “It’s important to expand your repertoire – after all nails, brows, make-up and tanning all have that instant ‘feel-good’ factor’,” says Jennifer Davies, Mii brand manager at Gerrard International.

“Both make-up and nails are about interpreting colour and texture for a particular look and can be co-ordinated. For example, if you’ve created sophisticated nude nails for your clients, you can recommend a nude lipstick to match, or similarly dial it up if your client loves lots of glitz and glamour by suggesting false lashes and a smokey eye.

“Brow and make-up retail require minimal space, it could be as simple as having some till point teasers such as mascara or lipsticks; no matter the size of your salon you can benefit from extra sales.”

Retailing
It can be a daunting prospect to ask clients to part with hard-earned cash. However, with lots of competition and a tough economic climate, retail sales can make a huge difference to your earning.

“Be an advocate for your retail make-up items by wearing them yourself and discussing them with clients during appointments,” says Tabby Castro. “As a make-up professional, it’s important to represent the beauty industry and take pride in the services you offer. Most industry professionals wear make-up to work and therefore it would be a missed opportunity to not retail these items onto clients.

“Training staff in these new products will help to get everyone excited to sell them throughout the day. Upsell make-up products to clients as an addition to your services by letting them know why you love those products. When clients see that you trust and love a brand they will want to know more.

“The most important thing to do is to be an advocate for what you’re selling – show clients how easy it is to enhance their everyday look or how they can add a little ‘feel good factor’ by showcasing a range of make-up looks every day. Wear a variety of products throughout the week to show how easy it is to change up your look and get clients excited about make-up products once again.”

As well as this, discovering a client’s needs, make-up habits, problems and preferences can often lead to an organic sell without fear of feeling too ‘pushy’. “Have a natural conversation about make-up and if there’s a particular products they struggle with or want to try, offer to give them a little demo at the end of their appointment,” says Jamie Long, HD Brows lead stylist.

Selling via socials
“With the new hygiene guidelines, retail displays and product testers are a no-go right now,” adds Jamie. “However, this doesn’t mean you have to miss out on retailing. Lots of salons are turning to social media to sell make-up and it’s proving really popular. Be sure to check the insights section of your Instagram account to check the best times to post. At HD Brows, we find that videos tend to perform better, especially when they’re showing the product application, so if you’re confident in front of the camera, get filming!”

Featured image courtesy of Mii Cosmetics, available from Gerrard International.