CHRISTMAS

’TIS THE SEASON to Gift

We asked salon owners and stylists to share their top retail tips ahead of the festive season

GHD

While many salons offer retail year-round, it’s undeniable that Christmas can be an excellent opportunity to boost sales. However, with clients increasingly spending their hard-earned cash online, it pays to put a little extra effort into your sales strategy. With that in mind, we asked several salon owners and stylists how they’re approaching retail this Christmas – and what’s helping them turn browsing into buying.

Get Started Early

While Christmas in October can be controversial, it does have its place, according to Andrew Jose, Revlon UKI Artistic Ambassador. “We’ll begin communicating with clients about stocking fillers and gift ideas then, because it puts the thought in their mind before they automatically head online,” he explains. “You don’t need to go full Christmas on 1 October, but you do need to start the conversation.”

Carol Ritchie, OSMO Ambassador and founder of Carol Ritchie Bespoke Hair, is also an advocate for getting the ball rolling early. “I love Christmas, and we get organised earlier in the year to plan for it,” she admits. “We start to ask our clients about their needs and if they’d like to buy gift sets for family and friends (or themselves) and then use that as a pre-order for our retail.” This strategy helps ensure your stock actually appeals to your clients, while also reducing the risk of excess gift sets left over in the new year.

And when it’s time to start promoting your festive offering, Dan Spiller, JOICO EMEA Ambassador and Manager at Marc Antoni Fleet Salon, recommends taking advantage of your retail partners’ marketing materials. “JOICO has made retailing easy with a digital and in-salon campaign that helps us with marketing and social media assets to promote,” he shares.

Make it Personal

When it comes to suggesting products at Christmas – or in fact, any time of year in the salon – one of the best approaches is to make it personal. “As hairdressers, we know our clients – their hair, their routines, what they love and often what they need – so we’re in an amazing position to make really personal recommendations,” explains Adam Reed, founder of Arkive Salon Covent Garden, for L’Oréal Professionnel. “The thing a salon can offer that online retail can’t is us: our expertise, our relationship with the client and that personal recommendation. If we make retail feel like part of the service rather than an add-on at the till, it becomes a much more natural and enjoyable conversation.”

PASTELS

George Waterfield, co-owner of The Secret Garden, a ghd partner salon, also recommends leaning into your role as an expert. “Healthy hair is also a really powerful message to support retail purchases at this time of year. Clients want their hair to look its best for Christmas parties and celebrations, so talking about products in terms of maintaining healthy, glossy, beautiful-looking hair gives you a natural reason to recommend them,” he says.

When it comes to making retail personal, it’s not just about the products you recommend, but who you recommend them to. In fact, Jimmy Sharpe, salon manager at Schwarzkopf Professional Salon, Jakata, tells us that he likes to listen out for names of friends and family that clients drop in conversation, as this makes a great opening to pose the question: ‘What are you getting them for Christmas?’. “This approach led to more clients making double purchases of gift sets – one for themselves and a gift for a friend,” he notes.

Go Big or Go Home

When the festive season rolls around, bigger is better, according to Graeme Fawns, owner of @66 HAIR & LIFESTYLE. “We go completely overboard with the decorations – the windows get dressed, the trees get bigger, and even our 7ft cactus gets involved,” he explains. “It should feel like Christmas is actually happening in the salon, not like someone has put a bauble on the till. This helps get clients in the festive mood and more open to shopping in your space.”

Likewise, Nancy Stripe, owner of Stripe Colour Studio, believes being original with your Christmas décor can make a difference – even working with a local artist to ensure their shopfront stands out. “We’ve collaborated with Becki Miller (@ermitsmoze) on anything from Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ to the Muppet’s Kermit and Miss Piggy,” she says. Not only does this put existing clients in a festive mood, but it acts as great publicity, drawing in local footfall, too.

Elevate the Shopping Experience

One thing that shopping in person can offer that online can’t is the ability for clients to see, smell and feel the products before they buy – so make the most of the senses when creating your retail display. Justyna Sikor, Elgon Educator and Ambassador, believes this can be a particularly powerful selling point at Christmas. “With Elgon Professional, we have a wide range of products that work beautifully as gifts, from masks and oils to styling and haircare products, many with amazing scents. Clients can’t smell the products or experience their textures when they shop online, so the full experience is always better in the salon,” she explains.

Keep the Momentum Going

Just because December comes to an end doesn’t mean the benefits for your business have to. While it can be tempting to pack away any remaining gift sets until next Christmas, Andrew suggests putting them to good use. “If you have a few Christmas packs left after the festive period, use them to reward some of your best customers. Rather than seeing leftover stock as a problem, turn it into a thank you. A great client receiving an unexpected gift in January can create far more goodwill than simply discounting it.”

Jamie Benny, ALFAPARF Milano Professional Brand Ambassador UKI, also believes in giving clients a reason to return after Christmas. “For us, Christmas isn’t about simply selling more products. It’s about creating an experience that makes clients feel looked after and gives them something to look forward to after Christmas,” he says. At Benny & Co., every client receives a sealed Christmas envelope from 1 December, which they can only open at their next appointment in January or February 2027. Inside is a little thank you – from a treatment or upgrade to another special extra. “Clients genuinely loved the anticipation of having something waiting for them, and we saw everyone return to the salon afterwards. For us, that’s far more powerful than simply offering a January discount.”

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