71% of Brits want to buy retail products from salons, but only 33% do

Spas and salons in the UK could be missing out on a large portion of recurring revenue from retail opportunities.

A recent survey, by Phorest Salon Software, revealed that despite 71% of British people wanting to buy retail beauty products from salons, only 33% do. 

The survey revealed only 28% of people said that they frequently buy products from their salon. The majority of participants surveyed said that they usually purchase beauty products from online retailers (32%), supermarkets (19%) and pharmacies (16%). 

When asked how they would prefer to purchase products, 44% of beauty salon clients selected online shopping 

Subscription-based purchasing is also growing as customers look for an easy way to stay on top of their beauty regime, as 56% of those surveyed said they would be likely or very likely to subscribe to this service with their beauty salon.

Verna Wall, lead researcher at Phorest Salon Software, commented, “This is a key insight for UK salons and presents a huge opportunity for them to build a recurring revenue stream into their business. 

“With so many businesses learning how to adjust to ever-increasing costs, having a stream of guaranteed income would lay a solid foundation to keep their businesses income on track.”

As part of this research, Phorest also surveyed salons on their retail offerings. UK salons fell below many other regions for selling online, with only 50% of hair and beauty salons operating an online store. In contrast, 74% of Irish salons and 67% of UAE salons were selling online.

Wall added, “From our data, two things are clear; consumers want to buy products from their salons, but salons are not keeping up with modern ways to allow their customers to purchase from them. Clients want to be able to shop from the comfort of their own homes, or not to have to think about restocking at all! 

 “Are you missing out on sales, simply because you don’t have an online store or product refill service? If you’re eager to boost retail sales, having great products isn’t enough. 

“It’s time to open an online store, start offering a subscription service, and give your customers multiple ways to purchase their favourite products from you, instead of the retail giants.” 

Do you operate an online store as part of you salon offering, or any subscription-based retail services? Let us know in the comments…