How to improve the retail to treatment revenue ratio in your salon

Industry average is around 5% retail to treatment revenue. However, boosting retail sales needn’t feel like a mammoth mountain to climb. With our support, we find our salons and spas achieve between 50% and 90%.

Create experts with staff training

It may sound obvious, but if a therapist doesn’t understand the products thoroughly, they can’t sell them. Retail training is essential to enable therapists to feel confident.

Book refresher training well in advance of peak seasons such as Christmas so you can maximise on sales.

Don’t forget to train  your reception staff. They also play a role in the customer’s purchase journey and can be a great asset for add-on sales.

Stock the right products

Stocking retail products that have strong links to your treatments makes it much easier for therapists to sell. If the customer likes the results of the treatment, they will want to continue those results at home. 

Although facials tend to be easier to retail after, massage and waxing treatments are usually booked more often. To avoid missing out on sales here, stock body exfoliators to treat dry skin and ingrown hairs. Aromatherapy products are also a great option as they can link to any body treatment. 

Set targets and incentives

Don’t shy away from incentivising your staff. It's beneficial for them and you. Start with a realistic target and teach them how to achieve it. We suggest a minimum target of 20% retail against the treatment cost.

So, for one £60 treatment that’s just £12 in product sales.

Over one week, 35 treatment hours x £12 = £420.

Over one month, £420 x 4 weeks = £1,680.

Commission at 10% per month = £168.

At Germaine de Capuccini, we reward therapists with our products using an online incentive scheme. This not only encourages sales, it also means the therapists get to know and love our products as they’re using them regularly. Therefore, retail sales become more natural.

Start the sale before the treatment

Clients are more responsive at the beginning of the treatment. Rather then rushing them onto the couch, take time to discus which skin concerns they would like to improve. Briefly mention a product for this concern that links to the treatment.

At the end of the treatment, point out the results from that product and ask something like “shall we get you started on that eye cream today?” This makes for a more natural and relaxed sale.

Find out how Germaine de Capuccini can transform your business.

Sponsored blog post