It all ADDS UP

Ever wondered about the cost of delivering add-on services such as nails, waxing and beauty treatments to your business? Hear it from the experts

We all know Covid-19 changed everything, including how the nation conducts their beauty regimens. Increasingly consumers want a beauty one-stop-shop where hair, nails, tanning, and even aesthetic treatments, are all in one place. Whether it’s down to convenience (why not get your nails done while waiting for colour to develop?) or wanting an experience that really takes them away from the outside world for an afternoon, offering treatments traditionally found in a beauty salon within a hair space has really found its groove. We spoke to the experts to find out about their journeys into the world of add-ons, and whether it's paid off.

The Motivation for Adding Add Ons

It all starts with a lightbulb moment, at least it did for Joe and Inanch Emir, owners of Inanch London. During lockdown they took the opportunity to renovate their salon basement to create two new treatment rooms, one for hair loss treatments and one for beauty services, all with the aim of adding value to the Inanch experience.

For Gavin William Hoare, Salon Manager at Richard Ward Hair and Metrospa, any new services start with customer feedback and surveys. “We knew that add-on services would keep clients loyal. The idea of a destination salon is very appealing to our clientele.” Adding a manicure to a colour service is a no-brainer. “While clients are waiting for colour to develop, why not offer them a mani or a pedi? That way an additional £100-£160 can be made on top of a colour service. It’s big income for the salon and a really great experience for the client.” Similarly, Elena Lavagni, Founder of Neville Hair & Beauty for L’Oréal Professionnel Paris explains that anticipating and fulfilling the evolving needs of clients has always been at the forefront of their strategy. “Adding beauty services seemed like a natural progression to enhance our clients’ experience and convenience.”

Overcoming Challenges

But of course, new services don’t come without their challenges. Elena revealed her ambitious plan to redesign the space, without interrupting everyday business. “We had a plan to optimise our space and schedule to accommodate additional services without disrupting our core offerings,” she says. “The process was demanding but well worth the effort.” For Joe and Inanch, they were cautious about expanding too quickly. “We couldn’t offer everything due to budget constraints so decided to focus on beauty treatments for the face.” Over at Richard Ward, the team had tried various treatments over the years, but one thing is clear – the team know when something works, and when it doesn’t. For example, the team had offered Botulinum injections, but concluded that it wasn’t the right fit for their business in the end. Their brow services are however a run-away success. “We converted our VIP room into an area for threading, waxing and shaping brows – and we also offer the service everyone wants at the moment, brow lamination.” It just goes to show that flexibility is key when it comes to add-on services.

“WE KNEW THAT ADD-ON SERVICES WOULD KEEP CLIENTS COMING BACK. THE IDEA OF A DESTINATION SALON IS VERY APPEALING TO OUR CLIENTELE.”

The Investment

To create a viable new business arm demands a sizeable investment. Both in terms of time and money. “We used all of our Covid-19 bounce-back loan of £50,000 to renovate our salon basement area and create our two treatment rooms,” explains Joe. “So to help with cashflow, we leased the equipment needed for the beauty treatments.”

Elena invested in high quality equipment and expert training to match the high standards of their hair offering – and most importantly took on new staff, which of course was a major financial investment. “We expanded our team to include beauty specialists, ensuring that each professional focuses on their area of expertise,” she explains. “This specialisation guarantees that all services, whether hair or beauty, are performed by skilled practitioners.” Joe and Inanch agree with the specialist approach but admit they were lucky to bring in their daughters who are qualified beauticians/aestheticians. Talk about it being a family affair!

The Pay Off

Richard Ward also offers permanent make-up, eyelash extensions and ear piercing, which was a surprise hit. Gavin says: “Gina, our Beauty Manager, trained in ear piercing with Inverness, and she got a great review on Mumsnet. Now it's so popular, we can do a day of piercings. Parents want their children to get their ears pierced by a trusted professional, and their hair salon falls into that category.” Gavin explains that piercing is priced at £45, with earrings on top.

Joe's team offer a variety of facial treatments including CollagenWave, HydraFacial and LED Light Therapy as well as SkinPen. “We combined these into one service which is now our most popular beauty treatment,” he adds. Although beauty is a small part of the business, Joe has seen an increase of £60-£70 to a clients’ average spend. “We also introduced packages where clients pay upfront for a course of treatments – great for business cashflow,” he reveals. Gavin also shares a similar sentiment, with nothing but good things happening after introducing add ons. “Since Covid-19, the overall frequency of hair appointments has gone down, but thanks to beauty treatments, our average spend has gone up.” Yes, it might take investment, but you can’t argue with the value of add-ons.