As American eCommerce sales grew 15.8 percent in 2017, one type of brick-and-mortar category thrived amid online shopping: beauty. There are countless stories of beauty businesses booming and in turn, disproving the “retail is dead” proclamation: Ulta, Sephora, and Lush all increased sales in 2017. For women, getting product advice for one of their most important assets – their face – is invaluable. Having an expert deliver custom recommendations based on a person's unique features is necessary for the beauty industry.

Local salons are missing out on the opportunity to be making bank on selling retail. Think about it, beauty professionals performing services like eyelash extensions gain inherent trust with their clients automatically. Eyelash extension artists make their clients look gorgeous, so suggesting lash extension safe makeup and aftercare that clients can take home immediately makes perfect sense.

Featuring retail product in your salon has the following benefits:

Revenue: The value of each service increases when clients walk out the door with products. Repeat customers will keep restocking the products they need, which brings in higher repeat revenue for your salon. If you don't sell the products clients want, they'll just end up purchasing those products elsewhere, when you could have made the profit.

Credibility: Your artists might not consider themselves salespeople, but being able to provide unique suggestions that will bring value to clientele, helps to build their expertise in the field. High sales are about providing value that clients appreciate. In turn, clients will look to your salon pros for more advice and products that will help them achieve their desired looks.

Referrals: When your team makes clients look amazing, others will notice. Getting a compliment on a look that your salon created can result in a reference for your business, especially when others want to look just as fantastic as their friends.

Offering relevant products becomes a natural part of the visit; clients who want to maintain a stunning look will naturally ask for product recommendations, which makes the sale seamless and helpful.

If you are considering featuring retail products for your salon, here are some salon business tips on how to get started with retail and best practices for marketing products to your clientele.

Having a visual cue that your salon sells retail products is a great way to spark easy and instant conversations. Rather than scattering a bunch of lash growth serums or liquid eyeliner pens messily around a workstation, consider a sleek, professional, and organized retail display that increases trust and shows you're serious about the quality of your products.

Aim to get one that has spots for samples, so clients can try out the products if they like and see the quality for themselves.

Many lash artists get in the business because they love talking to people and being able to showcase their craft, not because they want to be a salesperson. The great news for your salon is that having products on hand is expected today. 

From hair salons to makeup studios, being able to take home the product to maintain or re-create a look is desired by beauty clientele. When you have a professional display that is located prominently where the client can see it, the products become a logical part of the environment. There's no need to be pushy to sell the products. 

Artists can use these techniques to sell:

Be a product of the product: To talk confidently about what they are suggesting to clients, artists should be familiar with using the products they sell on themselves. Give products to your team so they can try them and get familiar. Then, offer your employees a discount so they can continue using them. A client may ask their artist what products they are using at home. When this happens, they can take the exact products off the display and make a sale.

Be knowledgable about the product: Everyone's features are different, and personalized recommendations can help to secure a sale and thrill customers with better results. Artists should know how all products work, how they might look on specific eye shapes, or with certain lash conditions, as well as how to use them to achieve the desired look. Tailoring a sale to an individual's needs will make it more successful.

Be the helpful expert, not the pushy salesperson: Operate by the mantra, “help, don't sell.” Of course, you want to make profits off products, but the best way to do that is to offer genuine advice. Clients who feel like they're being steamrolled by sales when they visit your salon might get turned off and never come back. Always put the client's satisfaction first, including in how you approach sales.

Pair products with an attractive loyalty option to help increase sales in a non-aggressive way, while improving customer retention: For example, you can offer clients points for every dollar spent on retail products, and once they hit a certain number of points, they get 50 percent off a service. A program like this gives artists something of value to suggest to clients. After a client makes the purchase, they'll look forward to more visits because they know a goodie is coming soon. 

The more your artists can strive to help their clients, the more natural the sales process becomes.

Selling retail product doesn't have to be limited to your salon location. Maybe first-time visitors realize after they leave that they actually do need a nice domed sleep mask now that they have gorge lashes. There may be some clients whose favorite eyeliner is about to be discontinued, and they know they'll need a new one soon. Sending offers via email marketing reminds your customers what you offer, and that you have the goods when they need them. 

Some ways to boost your email efforts for retail include:

-Send personalized discounts based on a previous purchase

-Deliver a $5 off birthday gift

-Spotlight a product each month to showcase

You probably don't want to overload a workspace with dozens of products, but if you sell great beauty tools, you'll want clients to know about them. Pair an in-store display with targeted, relevant and helpful email marketing to your clients.

Adding retail to your salon makes perfect sense – for salon owners who want to increase revenue, for artists who wish to be credible to clients, and for clients who need the solutions you can offer. When you partner with a reputable brand like Lash Affair for retail, you can feature products your clients will love, and your artists will love selling and using themselves.

Lash Affair has an easy to navigate wholesale, affiliate, and makeup retailer programs that fit any salon or spa budget. The programs are incredibly simple and ensure that you get the number of products you need, when you need them, at an amazing price. For makeup and beauty product savings, your salon only needs to sign up here (for free!) If you qualify, you'll get 50 percent off all products like eyeliner, lash and brow serum, and our new TLC cleanser with a minimum order of $200. For wholesale options to stock an entire lash studio, including purchasing lash extensions and lash extension supplies at a wholesale discount, you can fill out the same form to apply.

Increasing your salon's revenue and reputation is simple when you have high-quality products that work. Trust Lash Affair to deliver the best in product, value, and service for your salon.