Source: Aveda Instagram

Stone Gate Salon in Cypress, Texas has been a trusted beauty source in the community for 15 years. So when owners Gino and Stephanie Hernandez had the opportunity to buy another local salon two years ago, they took it, and The Factory joined the family.

“It was an existing space that we rebranded. We’ve been so successful with The Factory, we’re opening another location in October,” Gino Hernandez says.

The biggest difference between Stone Gate and The Factory lies in retail. At Stone Gate, stylists and clients have three or four retail lines (including Aveda) to choose from. The Factory is an Aveda Concept salon, offering Aveda exclusively.

Source: Mary Katherine Creative

One Line Boosts the Bottom Line

Gino quickly noticed his stylists working at The Factory were hitting better retail numbers than those at Stone Gate. It turns out they were selling 33% higher on average. In January -June 2021, retail per client ticket averaged $11.69 at The Factory. At Stone Gate, the average was $8.78.

And it wasn’t just new stylists helping boost the retail revenue. Gino also saw former Stone Gate team members’ retail numbers go up when they started working in the new location.

“We always suspected moving to a single line would be better because there are fewer decisions to be made by the stylist,” he says. “But that was just a hypothesis. When experienced stylists from Stone Gate moved to The Factory, we assumed their retail performance would be similar at both locations.”

But that was not the case. Stylist Linzi Jackson, formerly a Stone Gate stylist, quickly caught the Hernadezes’ attention with her retail numbers when she moved to The Factory.

“She went from an average of $8.18 per ticket at Stone Gate to $17.87 at The Factory,” Gino says.

The Stylist Perspective

Jackson, a seasoned stylist of almost 20 years, was retailing Aveda, Davines and occasionally Brazilian Blowout at Stone Gate, favoring Davines simply because that line had been in the salon first.

“There were certain products I preferred in each line—I’d recommend depending on the client,” Jackson says. “And then there were some products I hadn’t been fully educated on, so I just didn’t recommend them at all. My clients fully trust me, and I don’t want to recommend something I haven’t tried or learned about.”

While Jackson had gone through Aveda education at Stone Gate, she decided to take an Aveda Masters Series class when she moved over to The Factory. There, she discovered everything the Aveda PurePro site had to offer.

Pro Tip: Store Your Facts

“I started looking up the fact sheets on products I was unfamiliar with and really utilize all the information available,” she says.

She created a folder on her phone where she downloaded all the fact sheets for quick reference.

Source: Aveda

“I also tried a lot of products myself,” she says. “I don’t want to fail my clients, and if I don’t like something, I can’t sell it. But sometimes there are benefits I even forget about, which is when the fact sheets on my phone come in handy.”

With only one line to focus on, Jackson found product recommendations much simpler, and discovered hidden gems in the Aveda line.

“Speed of Light was a product that surprised me,” she says. “I liked it, but didn’t think I was using it correctly—and sure enough, I wasn’t.”

Once she started properly towel drying hair and re-soaking it with Speed of Light, she was astounded at the product performance.

“Thickening Tonic was another one I wasn’t using properly,” she says. “I wasn’t shaking the bottle first, and that makes all the difference. I just reference the fact sheet, and even show it to clients to back up what I’m telling them.”

Making the Transition

Gino says walk-in retail traffic is also busier at The Factory, which he attributes to being Aveda Concept.

“Without all the competing voices in the retail area, both stylists and consumers have an easier time choosing the right product,” he says.

In the first half of 2021, 10.5 percent of clients who received services at Stone Gate bought product. In the same time frame at The Factory, 14 percent of clients who received services purchased retail.

The numbers speak for themselves. Putting the spotlight on a single line has boosted retail numbers for the Hernadezes, making the retail choice at their next salon an easy one.

“Our new location opening in October will also be Aveda only,” Gino says. “When stylists have options, they cling to them. This helps them learn and focus on one line.”

Numbers at a Glance

Here’s how the retail story breaks down for Stone Gate and The Factory.

Single Line Retail (The Factory)

• Average retail per client ticket Jan – June 2021: $11.69
• January – June 2021: 14 percent of clients who received services bought product
• Stylist Linzi Jackson average retail per ticket: $17.87
• Jackson’s retail January – June 2021: $8,143

Multi-Line Retail (Stone Gate): 

• Average retail per client ticket Jan – June 2021: $8.78
• January – June 2021: 10.5 percent of clients who received services bought product
• Stylist Linzi Jackson average retail per ticket: $8.18
• Jackson’s retail January – June 2020: $4,880