Solutions to no-shows and competing with discount sites uncovered at PB Salon Networking Forum
As part of our commitment to help beauty remain a profitable industry, Professional Beauty held its Salon & Spa Networking Forum as a standalone event in Birmingham for the first time, giving support to businesses in that part of the country.
The event, which took place at The Champagne Rooms, Hotel Indigo, on July 1, brought together 25 salon-based and mobile beauty therapists who took part in a roundtable discussion, covering issues such as retention marketing, the beauty salon price war and the growing problem of salon no-shows.
The networking forum was a chance for business owners to air their concerns and struggles in a safe space, while also finding solutions to their problems from others who have gone through the same thing.
What issues were discussed?
One of the biggest challenges discussed was whether salon owners should offer regular discounts to compete in this saturated market or should hold their ground and know their worth. Part of the problem, the group agreed, was that discount sites such as Groupon, which offer services at one-time only special offers, don’t encourage customer loyalty.
Many felt that creating a strategy for customer retention marketing, which would be executed on social media, was the way forward to create client loyalty without the need for heavily discounting.
Recommendations included giving a “face” to your brand – a team member who is social savvy, a good seller and extremely knowledgeable, who can do regular videos and posts to reach customers. The idea being this will make your brand appear more “trustworthy” and “personable”.
The problem with no-shows and the implication this has on columns was another concern for many in the room. Ideas such as keeping a black list of repeat offenders, taking full payment from customers at the time of booking and creating tighter cancellation polices were all discussed as steps that need to be taken to reduce the issue.
