Considering Carrying Retail Cosmetics? 8 Tips For Beginners To Help You Get Started

Selling cosmetic retail in addition to your salon or spa services is a HUGE opportunity to beef up sales.

• It can help improve your profit margin. No-shows, cancellations, and slow days are inevitable—but having income through selling retail helps make up for them.
• It gives clients a VIP feel. You can offer your client products that most stores don’t carry. Plus, when your client gets to try out the products for free or get a discount, they feel like they’re getting an exclusive deal.
• It rounds out what you offer. Offering cosmetic retail products related to the service you offer keeps clients feeling like they got the whole package deal.
• It improves your client’s salon experience. Sure, your client might be able to buy that same product on Amazon or at Sephora. But buying the products they love while at an appointment to see you elevates the feel of the whole appointment.

Purchasing your first orders of wholesale cosmetics doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Set yourself up for success by getting your priorities straight. 

Here are a few tips to feel more confident selecting and buying retail cosmetics to offer at your salon:

     1. Base your inventory on actual client interest 

The goal isn’t to have something to offer, per se. The goal is to offer products that your customers actually buy.

It’s tempting to stock retail cosmetics that you feel your clients need…but your clients need to be convinced too! To help avoid stocking products that clients aren’t interested in, eavesdrop on some online conversations. Corners of the internet like Reddit forums and Facebook groups are excellent places to look up conversations about what retail to carry. Both your ideal clients and other successful salon owners have valuable insight.

     2. Give yourself a budget

You can quickly overspend on inventory that doesn’t sell. Even if your budget is under $500, choose a number and stick with it.

It’s also helpful to clarify exactly what kind of products you’d like to carry. For example, you might want to offer products that go together, like shampoo and conditioner. Or you might want to offer a few unique products to give your clients an exclusive feel, like eyebrow mousse and lash primer.

Knowing the kinds of products you’d like to carry will help you keep from going on a shopping spree that has you justifying prices and products that don’t fit your needs.

     3. Cap your inventory

Don’t just give yourself a budget limit. Give yourself a stock limit when buying retail. Your wallet and your salon space will thank you!

How much space do you have in your salon? Remember, you can always buy more if you need to, but unsold retail will eat up your money and the cost it takes to store it.

     4. Don’t go crazy with the selection

It’s tempting to shell out so you can offer an array of products that feels “complete.” But you don’t have to offer a whole spread to get your clients’ interest. After all, your client probably won’t source their whole makeup look from you!

Be careful not to convince yourself that having every cosmetic your client needs will look irresistible on the shelf. Your clients have plenty of other places to buy their beauty products. What matters to your client is that your selection is intentional. Your retail cosmetics reflect what you’ve hand-picked as an expert.

    5. Consider your options

Don’t get seduced by a great deal too fast! And don’t feel that you need to offer things that are popular or easily recognized. This is about giving your client the best experience.

Have confidence in yourself. You’re the expert in your craft. That’s why your clients are coming to you! What you offer is a reflection of your expert opinion. You know intuitively what would be a good fit for your clients. Support your clients with great recommendations that they can source from you.

     6. Talk to other salon owners

You don’t want to go in blind when you’re buying your first few wholesale orders. Talk to other estheticians or salon owners to discover what they’ve learned. You’ll get especially valuable pearls of wisdom from peers that cater to similar clientele as you.

There may be products they discovered to be much more (or less) successful than they’d guessed. Or there may be products that appeal to your client demographic that you’d never considered. Give yourself a head start by gaining from others’ experiences.

7. Use your product while in the salon

This is the most important tip. Show your customer how your product performs…before they leave! If you’d like to use a single product on multiple people, use disposable applicators to preserve sanitation.

Your client could get the product you’re offering elsewhere, but there’s a unique benefit to buying it from you. And for most people, it’s this factor that closes the sale. They can try it out before deciding to buy. Emphasize the low-risk benefit of trying it out once.

Once your client sees how much they enjoy the product, let them know about any other benefits you offer, like lower-than-in-store pricing. With this method, you’ll be making sales in no time.

     8. See how things sell

Things often don’t go flying off the shelves like you thought they would. But that’s ok! A good salon owner knows that their ideas on what will sell may not match what actually does.

Some things take trial and error. Allow yourself to switch gears when your clients prefer a product less (or more) than you’d expected.

Also, give yourself time to see what sells. If you’re feeling disheartened that you haven’t made a single sale in a week, don’t jump to conclusions about client interest in the product.

Give your clients a VIP experience by carrying exclusive retail cosmetics

Carrying cosmetic retail in your salon is always going to be a learning experience, so give yourself room to grow. You have to spend some money to make money, but you can take small steps when you work with a great wholesaler.

When you buy blinc cosmetics wholesale, you’re getting the best benefits of buying wholesale. You’re not just getting tubing products from the formula’s original pioneers. You’re getting small footprint, small-batch options that fit your salon budget and space.

You’ll get to offer your clients the solutions tubing mascara gives:

• Water-resistance (Eye tearing? Rainy days? Your lashes are safe.)
• Zero smudges (Goodbye afternoon panda eyes!)
• Zero flakes (Nothing caught in contacts.)
• Ultra-longwear formulas (Enjoy all day…and beyond.)
• Water + light pressure removal (Goodbye, makeup remover.)

Plus, we offer the only eyeliner with tubing technology (yes—it’s smudge-free yet removes with water!) and our eyebrow mousse offers a better color range and a more natural look than what’s on the market.

Shop here to find the products your clients will love.