Sell more products online

One of the big lessons salon owners took away from 2020 was the importance of having an e-commerce platform. When salons were closed, selling products online became a livelihood and, moving forward, should be treated as an important part of your business model.

According to online business expert Melissa Nates, expecting your e-commerce platform to just tick along isn’t going to be good enough. “Like any part of your business, you need nurture it, ensure people know it exists, and keep it popping up where they are. That’s the only way you’re going to see real traction through your online sales.”

Know where your customers are
And by that, we mean what social media they use. “If your customers are a little older, chances are that Facebook is their social media of choice. Younger customers tend to play with Instagram or TikTok. You need to know where they are, and then make sure your business is present there too.” A simple way to know where your customers like to hang out on social media is to ask them. Have them fill out their preferred social media platform on their customer card. “From there, it’s a matter of other buying advertising, or organically appealing to your audience by presenting the products you have, and then offering a click-through to your site.”

Solve a problem
What is your audience’s major concern? “Solve it for them,” says Melissa. “If the information you have gotten from your customers is that they’re all about anti-ageing, push your products that work with this, whether it’s a new sunscreen, product or treatment. But don’t mince your words. If it will reverse the signs of ageing, say it.”

Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer
Research shows that only 3% of visitors to a site are there to purchase something. So what about the other 97%? “Don’t just let them slip away,” says Melissa. But how to find them? “Have a pop-up offering a first-time discount, if they input their email address. And then if they leave without buying, follow them up with an automated email that says something along the lines of, ‘Hey, did you forget something?’. The aim is to offer a friendly nudge, not be rude or stalker-like.”

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