Are you missing out on thousands of dollars in salon retail revenue?
For most successful salons, retail isn’t just a nice bonus—it’s a critical revenue pillar. Yet many salon owners leave this money on the table with an unfocused approach.
As we have discovered through years of managing and consulting with top salons, retail strategy is often the biggest blind spot in an otherwise well-run business.
The good news? You don’t need aggressive sales tactics or complicated systems. You just need a strategic framework.
Play the short…
… and watch the full episode 68 of Marketing 100 where Kayle explains his four proven pillars for selling salon retail using strategies that have transformed product sales for salons across the country.
Keep reading to see how these four pillars can transform your approach and make retail a reliable revenue driver for your salon.
👉 Want the tools to implement these strategies? Download our free guides:
Comprehensive Retail Checklist: Assess your current strategy across all four pillars.
Retail Display Optimization Guide: Turn your shelves into silent salespeople.
1: Salon Retail Education That Builds Team Selling Confidence
You can’t expect stylists to graduate cosmetology school and magically become retail experts. You don’t graduate from cosmetology school and you’re done. Continuous education is everything.
And guess what? Organizing that falls on you, the owner.
You need to partner with your brand reps and host regular educational classes.
Maybe that means arranging off-site events put on by your color provider or a styling products company.
Establishing a Continuous Product Education System
Aim for at least one training session a quarter, maybe even one a month.
Your team needs to know these products inside and out – ingredients, benefits, who they’re perfect for, any contraindications, especially for sensitive skin or allergies.
The more armed with information your team is, the better apt they are going to be to sell the product that you carry.
Research-Backed Benefits of Product Knowledge
A salesperson with strong product knowledge doesn’t just sell more. They also inspire trust and make clients feel more confident about their purchase. When stylists effectively communicate product benefits to clients, conversion rates naturally improve.
One study found that product knowledge helps reduce the “cost of information search” for clients, making their decision easier.
Another study shows that expertise builds client trust, which improves their overall experience and makes them more likely to buy again.
Think bigger than just sales, too. This education elevates the entire client experience.
Clients turn to your team for expert advice on everything from hair care to lifestyle and fashion choices.
Product knowledge forms a crucial foundation of this trusted relationship.
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2: Motivating Salon Retail Commission Structures That Drive Sales
Money talks. Your commission structure must actually motivate your stylists to sell.
If they make significantly more money serving a client than selling a product, what do you think they’ll prioritize?
Be honest. If it’s not worth their time, they simply won’t care about selling your retail.
It has to work for both the business and the stylist.
If your margins on a product line are so thin you can’t offer a decent commission, maybe it’s the wrong line for your salon.
If stylists are making peanuts, they won’t push it. Find that sweet spot where everyone wins.
3: Client-Centered Retail Recommendations Without Pushy Sales Tactics
Okay, real talk. Just because a client drops $300 on products today doesn’t mean they’ll do it again in six weeks. They still have product left.
Don’t force your team into awkward overselling situations. It creates a shitty experience and erodes trust. Clients know when they’re being sold at, like you’re just trying to “hawk your garbage at them.”
Why High-Pressure Salon Retail Tactics Backfire
Studies show that high-pressure tactics might boost short-term sales, but they create negative customer satisfaction and lower trust in the long run.
Industry experts put it bluntly: “High-pressure sales tactics may close a deal in the short term, but they can lead to unsatisfied customers, poor reviews, and lost business in the long run.” By contrast, honest, relationship-based selling builds the kind of trust that keeps clients coming back.
Balancing Professional Recommendations with Client Respect
But, don’t swing too far the other way and become scared to recommend anything. It’s about finding the right balance. Maintaining value perception in your retail offerings is just as important as in your services.
Remember why you recommend products in the first place. It’s not just about how clients look leaving the chair; it’s about helping them maintain that look between appointments.
“Your role in their life is to make sure they always look good.
When recommendations come from a place of genuine expertise and care for the client’s results, they land differently. You know their hair needs – sometimes better than they do. That confidence speaks volumes.
4: Build in Transition Time & Embrace Team Selling
Are your stylists constantly rushed, scrambling from one client to the next? That frantic energy kills potential retail sales. I see stylists get “jammed up” daily because schedules are too tight.
Stylists need buffer time. Time to clean their station, but also time to mentally reset. Interacting with different personalities all day takes mental labor – and properly conclude the service without feeling pressured by the next waiting client.
Recent research from McKinsey found that top-performing sales organizations deliberately free up time for customer-facing activities. The best companies offload up to 50% of administrative tasks, creating 20% more selling time for their teams. The result? Productivity improvements of up to 30%.
Building Effective Transition Time Between Clients
Think about what those numbers could mean for your salon. When your stylists have proper time to consult with clients instead of rushing to the next appointment, they don’t just deliver better service – they sell more effectively too.
Retail conversations shouldn’t feel like an afterthought tacked on at the front desk. They start in the chair when the stylist uses a product and explains why it’s beneficial. “I’m using this on you because of this…” The client sees the results firsthand.
Then, the checkout becomes a natural continuation. “This is that hairspray you loved – you should definitely take it home!” This is the time to “close the deal,” when the value is clear.
Leveraging Your Entire Team for Retail Success
And here’s a pro tip: get your whole team involved. Train your front desk staff on the products too. Think of the front desk as a liaison to support the stylist’s recommendation makes all the difference.
It can be just enough to push that client over the edge to say, “You know what? I will try it.”
The power of team selling is real and measurable. According to Salesforce, a whopping 81% of sellers report that team selling helps them close deals.
In your salon, that collaboration between stylist and front desk creates a powerful form of social proof that builds client confidence. Combining this approach with visual merchandising techniques that boost salon sales creates a comprehensive retail strategy.
Even more impressive? Research from Gong found that “team selling is the only factor that boosts win rates and increases deal sizes.”
That means when your team works together, clients are not only more likely to buy – they typically buy more. Why? Because multiple team members create added trust, expertise, and reassurance that a single stylist simply can’t provide alone.
You will see an increase in your product sales if you properly educate, incentivize, provide time for, and provide the collaborative environment for your team as a whole to sell.
Actionable Salon Retail Takeaways
- Invest in education: Schedule regular product training sessions (at least quarterly) so your team knows every product inside and out.
- Create meaningful incentives: Design a commission structure that actually motivates stylists to sell retail alongside their services.
- Respect product lifecycles: Understand that clients don’t need to purchase new products every visit. Build recommendations around their genuine needs.
- Build in buffer time: Give stylists breathing room between appointments to properly conclude services and discuss product recommendations without rushing.
- Leverage your entire team: Train your front desk staff to reinforce stylists’ recommendations—this team approach significantly increases sales success.
Download Your Free Salon Retail Success Tools
Boosting your salon’s retail doesn’t happen overnight, but having the right tools makes it much easier. Download these free resources to start implementing these strategies today:
👉 Comprehensive Salon Retail Strategy Checklist. Get a holistic view of your current retail approach across all four pillars. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and your next steps for improvement.
👉 Salon Retail Display Optimization Guide. Learn how to turn your retail shelves into silent salespeople with visual examples and practical tips on placement, lighting, signage, and more.
Grab these guides now and build a more strategic, sustainable, and profitable retail system for your salon.
P.S. For even more proven salon marketing tips, don’t forget to check out the rest of our Marketing 100 series.
