Cheryl, Owner and Master Stylist of Rumors Salon & Spa in Indiana

Aveda coming out with new and exciting products and collections in 2020 is a perfect time to reevaluate your retail sales promotions.

The five ideas below have proven successful and inspirational to the stylists at these salons—and that inspiration turned to spikes in retail sales. Need a new approach to retailing? Read on.

Blo in Raleigh, North Carolina runs a special where they offer guests the opportunity to draw a card from a large fishbowl. The cards are perforated and have a special prize hidden behind the perforated door.

There are eight different ways to save on or win retail, ranging from a free trial size to a buy one-get one opportunity. There is also a card that donates $1 to a local charity in the guest’s name. Blo had 8,000 cards printed, with 500 of them being charity focused. So the salon ended up donating $500 to a local charity (Arc of Wake County) in the name of 500 guests.

To capitalize on this, Blo sent out a press release announcing the names of all who contributed. For stylists, the cards created individual focus on a specific product. So if a guest drew $5 off a specific shampoo, the stylist could structure her diagnosis around the product.

In its first year, the “fishbowl” contributed to the promotion of five Blo designers, who jumped levels as a result of their retail sales.

A six-month long contest seems like a sure-fire way for stylists to lose momentum, right? Not at Aura Salon & Day Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The salon structured the contest so stylists were motivated by two things: a big prize at the end and smaller prizes along the way.

The big prize was an in-salon guest artist. And for Aura stylists, who are always hungry for education, this was a big incentive. But along the way, there were more carrots dangled that proved irresistible.

Monthly goals were set at 20 percent over the previous year’s sales for six months. Every time a stylist reached $500 in sales, they received a back bar-size shampoo and conditioner. Some of them even received more than one set!

The contest helped Aura achieve a 20-percent increase in sales over the prior year for six months, and the cost in back bar giveaways was minimal because they were overstocked and used points to purchase.

Bonus: By selling so much retail, the salon was able to pay for a guest artist with points.

Paris Parker Salon in Hammond, Louisiana, knows how to roll out the red carpet for their guests. During the holidays, they host a VIP night that’s an invitation-only event for top guests.

High-end gift guides are printed in limited quantities and offer luxurious packages including a $5,000 Ultimate Makeover. Incentives like spa packages are rewarded to guests who purchase at a certain threshold in retail gifts.

Guests enjoy live music, wine, cheese and other refreshments as well as Aveda relaxation rituals while they shop for family and friends—and themselves!

The result of this event? One of Paris Parker’s highest retail sales days of the year!

There’s nothing like a familiar game show to pique clients’ interest. At Spa Bleu in West Dundee, Illinois, a smaller version of the famous “wheel” — made especially for the salon — gets guests excited to spin and buy.

On special days guests are allowed to spin the wheel to win a prize if they fulfill a set purchase incentive like “buy two pieces of make-up” or “buy three products,” etc.

All prizes are above $5 and highly desirable — such as a complimentary blow dry, $20 off a massage, 1,000 Spa Bleu points, and more. Guests, of course, love it. But the staff members love it too, as it gives them another selling point when talking to guests about purchasing retail.

The salon uses the wheel strategically to sell certain products or boost retail when it’s down, and no more than once a week. It’s an easy, effective tool everyone welcomes.

Every month, Rumors Salon and Spa in Avon, Indiana holds a retail contest. At first, stylists were offered a small prize like a product, gift card or free lunch. Although this was initially exciting, these prizes lost their luster after a few months.

It was time to think bigger. Concert tickets were the prize of choice for Rumors stylists and if it happened to be for their favorite band, the drive to sell became even stronger. Salon owners can offer other kinds of big prizes, too: a weekend spa getaway; a “staycation” that includes a suite in a 5-star hotel, along with dinner for two at a top-rated restaurant; high-dollar gift cards to an upscale boutique or jewelry store — whatever resonates the most with team members.

The best part? Teamwork. Stylists who were traditionally high retail earners rallied behind ones who weren’t as strong to help them win tickets to their favorite band.