LINDA STEWART, CO-OWNER OF RAINBOW ROOM INTERNATIONAL WITH ALAN STEWART TALK GETTING READY FOR THE CHRISTMAS RUSH. 

‘As Christmas quickly approaches, it’s important for us to be prepared for the Christmas rush and have our salons and teams ready for our busiest time of the year. From getting the salon decorated, to providing clients with a great atmosphere, choosing the right retail products and ensuring our team have their columns prepared and are up to date with any changes in their working hours, there is so much to consider. Below we identify how to be prepared as possible before Christmas and after…

1 – Retail

Retail is incredibly important to consider over the festive period. Many client’s will be looking for the perfect hair care gifts to give to their loved ones and will be looking for more luxurious offerings of salon professional products and gift sets that can be purchased in the salon. Clients will also be looking for bigger gifts, such as electricals, as well as hair care minis that they can include as stocking fillers.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to have a large selection of each of these to be able to attract more sales over the season. Thinking about how you have these products laid out in the salon is just as important. You should have smaller products around the till areas for clients to pick up before they leave the salon and gift sets situated at the styling stations to draw clients eyes to the products during their appointment.

Think about Christmas displays around the salon with the products with good lighting and having an eye-catching window display that may attract passers-by into the salon to get last minute Christmas gifts. Gift packages including a few services at the salon and gift vouchers are also beneficial to have at Christmas time, as these are always popular gift ideas and they can be easily purchased in the salon right up until Christmas.

2. Ensure your team are organised for the rush

To help ensure your team are as organised as possible prior to the Christmas rush it’s a good idea to plan team meetings and/or one-to-one’s with your team to talk about the days and hours they will be working over the Christmas period and to ensure they have their Christmas holidays booked in. Don’t leave this last minute and instead, try to ensure the team are up to date on what’s happening a month or two in advance. You may need to extend your opening hours over Christmas and change the working hours of your team and for team members working longer hours, you will need to incorporate more breaks into their day. Therefore, ensuring the team are aware of this in advance is essential to ensure the salon runs as smoothly as possible.

3. Spread the festive cheer!

Christmas is one of the best times of year where everyone wants to feel joyful and excited. In order to provide clients with the best experience in the salon over the festivities, and also keep your team happy and motivated at work, think about what you can incorporate into the salon to help spread the Christmas cheer. This could be decorations, Christmas music, Christmas refreshments and even the team dressing more Christmassy or in Christmas hats.

You can also spread cheer on your social media, showcasing the team dressed up in their Christmas outfits, the salons Christmas decorations and any special offers you may have, as well as gift ideas. To help spread the cheer even further, you may also want to think about holding Christmas retail events where clients can come in and purchase retail products and can network with the team and other clients. We’ve held many events like these at Rainbow Room International, with cupcakes and fizz on arrival for clients and also having some of our team showcasing festive hairstyle ideas to clients and styling their hair to give Christmas party hair inspiration.

4. Communicate with your clients

Communication with your clients all year is exceptionally important, but at Christmas, many of us are so busy we can forget about appointments we may have made months in advance. Send client’s reminder texts or emails to ensure they are reminded of their appointment in advance and also use social media to communicate with client’s months before the festive period, informing them to book in for their Christmas appointments sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.

5. Think post-Christmas

Many of us plan so well for Christmas and then forget about post-Christmas when the salon can tend to be quieter. Some things to consider are ensuring your clients are booked in for their post Christmas appointment to keep their hair looking its very best at all times and also looking at potential packages or discounts you can offer in the New Year to attract clients into the salon during quiet times. Promoting gift cards during the festivities is also beneficial, whereby loved ones will book in for appointments for a post-Christmas pamper and some relaxation time after a busy couple of months due to the festivities’- RRI. 

For more info on the brand, visit Rainbowroom International here. 

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