Jenni Gilbert Looking constantly over your shoulder is bad for biz – but so is not keeping tabs on the competitive set. By Jenni Gilbert.
If your clients aren’t buying their skincare or makeup from you, clearly they’re getting it elsewhere.
Perhaps this is because you are not attuned to retailing the products you use in treatments. If that’s the case, you are missing a vital opportunity to both grow your profits and enhance your clients’ results between treatments with skincare tailored to their individual needs.
(Did you know that the ideal scenario is that you should be making up to 50 percent of your revenue from retailing? The sad fact is that Australian salons, spas and clinics are averaging between only four to six percent.)
On the other hand, maybe your clients think someone else is doing it better …
If you suspect that could the case, it’s time to embrace your competition and take some tips from them.
We’re not talking here about a rival salon, spa or clinic, but retail outlets – in this specific case, the funky and glamorous beauty emporium Sephora.
Having opened their first Australian outlet in Sydney’s Pitt St Mall in December 2014 and launching their online shop here last November, the international chain is taking the march on traditional beauty retail outlets such as department stores and chemists. And you!
Earlier in the year SPA+CLINIC was invited to Sephora’s seasonal brands showcase at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal. It was like being let loose in a lolly shop for grown ups (and that wasn’t even counting the lolly table heaving with sugar-laden delights for guests to mix, match and take home!).
There were beautifully decorated exhibits groaning with cutting edge cosmeceuticals, new organic skincare brands, up-to-the-minute makeup and nail colours and trend advisories, product innovations and accessories, and nifty little inventions like the makeup removal cloth that only requires adding water to get skin super clean without stripping it. (The cloth itself can be used over and over again and be machine-washed – okay, I’m hooked!)
Even more impressive than the colours and buzz was the passion for their brands and overall enthusiasm of the folk who manned the stands.
Considering Sydney was their last stop on a month-long promotion through Asia-Pacific, the energy levels were formidable.
It’s a hallmark of Sephora stores worldwide (as this longtime aficionado can attest!) – the compelling displays and vibe, attentive, helpful staff happy to educate you about products without being intrusive or pushy, ample opportunity to test products at mirrored stations, with makeup remover wipes and lotions, tissues and cotton pads and buds ever at the ready.
Not to mention the membership points system whereby you rarely make a purchase that you don’t leave without an impressive stash of samples or minis. It’s an experience, not just a shopping trip.
“Not so long ago it was considered that if a product was sold in department stores it wasn’t a viable option for a professional salon, spa or clinic to stock and use,” says SPA+CLINIC publisher Kirien Withers, a veteran industry consultant.
“The thinking was, if a client could simply buy it ‘over the counter’ why would they need to come to a salon to buy a professionally prescribed product? Also, if a product was stocked by a retail outlet, then it didn’t belong in the professional space anyway.
“However in recent years that perception has been shifting, as professional operators appreciate that the ability of a department store to build awareness for a brand can indeed be an asset re increasing consumer interest.
“And now there is Sephora. The stocking of a professional brand by Sephora would be even more advantageous given its reputation as a global leader in beauty retailing and innovation.”
Pay a store visit or check SEPHORA out online. See what it is they do so well and look at adopting some of those tactics in your business!
