Back to School Prep!

So, you’ve probably all already been soaring this summer with sales and are getting ready for a busy upcoming couple of weeks trimming kids’ hair before they go 'Back to School', but is your salon capitalising on this busy month as much as it could be?  Here at Salon Tracker we’ve come up with a couple of preparations that you can consider in the weeks running up.

Mums are always on the lookout for deals around the Back to School period, it’s a hectic time, not to mention expensive replacing all the uniforms, stationary, lunch bags, sports kits...you name it!  Therefore the better your offer and the more advertised it is, the higher the chance of you receiving that clients custom.  However, you have to be careful not to jeopardise your salon sales also.  Like we always say, you don’t want to be renowned as the salon that always does the ‘cheap deals’ as clients become accustomed to that and are then reluctant to revisit when prices return to their normal increased range.

Competitor research is therefore a good tip to help you here, have a look round at local businesses and see what kind of selected offers and events they are hosting around Back to School to help you to get a base of the prices and what is already out there. This also enables your salon to differentiate against this and bring something unique to the table.

Little things to take in to account when planning for Back to School are the styles that kids may want...and also their mind frames!   Let’s face it, the average 6 to 7 year old boy isn’t going to be too hot on going to the salon with his mum for a hair trim when the rest of his mates are on the street playing footy!  So, make sure you have sweets in, you maybe have a little freebie kids product for while they are waiting and some books or magazines!

Another great idea would be to get photographs of all the trendiest haircuts & styles for youngsters this summer, both boys & girls, and create a flip book of those so that the kids have some inspiration before they have their treatment.  A great idea is to look at celebrity role models for youths, as media figures tend to massively influence younger children & teen styles, so you need to make sure that you are fully in the know of the latest young fashion icons!  Read up on a couple of 'on trend' beauty treatments that celebs are adopting at the moment, i.e. the manicures that they are having or popular eyebrow shapes and again you could equally create a look book of these for further client inspo!

In terms of offers, 9 times out of 10, unless a client is in their late teens, most kids will come to the salon with their parents and therefore you could come up with some family deals for those!  For example ‘all under 16’s treatments are half price when a parent has a treatment.’ Or you could do 25% off with siblings, where parents of 2 or more children can get 25% off of each child’s treatment.   It depends what would work best for you in the salon, they are just a few ideas for you to think about.

So, be open to a bit of change and have a think about the possibilities that we have mentioned, take in to account which ones would work best for you in maximising your salon to its full potential this Back to School season. 

Salon Tracker x