Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/393439
Create your free business website! www.ascpskincare.com 41 Susanne Schmaling, director of education for Associated Skin Care Professionals, is a licensed esthetician, experienced educator, former spa owner, founder of the Pacifi c Institute of Esthetics, author of A Comprehensive Guide to Equipment (Milady, 2009) and Aging Skin (Milady, 2011), and contributor to Standard Makeup (Milady, 2013). Contact her at sschmaling@ascpskincare.com. For example, color makes a huge difference in how people are infl uenced to buy. According to researchers, 60–90 percent of our fi rst impression of any product comes from what color it is. See More Resources for suggestions on further reading. There are also some wonderful visual examples of attractive merchandising on Pinterest. Look for ideas that fi t your environment and business focus. Just remember, skin care products need to be accessible. Whether they're in a large, elaborate retail area or on a single small shelf, the client should feel like she can pick something up and try it. Showrooming Showrooming is when someone comes to you for a personalized recommendation, or to look at a product in your retail area, then goes online to purchase the product instead of buying it from you. It's an issue estheticians (and many other businesses) deal with every day. For ideas on how to overcome showrooming, read "The New Retail Reality" (ASCP Skin Deep, May/June 2014, page 12), available online at www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/291744/14. The key to keeping clients buying from you is personal interaction— your personality and expertise, as well as the service experience you provide. Webrooming Webrooming is the opposite of showrooming: it's when someone researches a product online for help when making a decision, but wants to make the actual purchase from a trusted local business. The good news is this practice is quite common. You may not even be aware that your clients are doing this, but you can use this habit to your advantage. Make sure your website has plenty of information about the products you sell—not just prices, but details that educate your clients about each product, its results, and how it fi ts into an ideal routine with your professional treatments to provide the best results. No Space? Make Time! Ideally you will have a space in your business where clients can engage with your products while waiting for their appointments, but not everybody can manage this. If you are a one-room esthetician with limited space to display retail items, why not vary your appointment times to allow an extra 15 minutes between treatments? Use that time to talk about the client's home-care needs and hand her the products or testers. With a little research and information, you can do a great job of empowering clients and fueling your sales. More Resources • "Consumers are Showrooming and Webrooming Your Business," Shopify, www.shopify.com/blog/14513673 • "Why All Sales Signs are Red: The Science of Color in Retail," Shopify, www.shopify.com/blog/14254569 • "Visual Merchandising 101," Shopify, www.shopify.com/blog/13955461 • "A Retailer's Guide to Webrooming," Merchant Warehouse, www.merchantwarehouse.com/ a-retailers-guide-to-webrooming • Visual Merchandising Store Design magazine, www.vmsd.com. This publication is aimed at professional retail designers, but the design galleries on its website can provide plenty of inspiration for the small business owner, too. Video Extra: Read this article online at www.ascpskindeepdigital.com to see a demonstration of how to set up a comfortable, visually appealing facial bed.