WEB BROWSER
SOCIAL SITE
Arrojo Studio aims to bring stylists together
with its re-launched education site.
Arrojo Studio has taken advantage of the
many advances in social networking and
mobile technology with the re-launch in
May of its education site, arrojoeducation
.com, with arrojostudio.com, arrojoproduct
.com and arrojocosmetology.com soon to
follow. “Education is the cornerstone of
the Arrojo brand and was born out of the
commitment to bring more professionalism
and quality into the hairdressing craft, so
it’s fitting to start with this site and to reach
out to our widest audience—hairdressers,”
says Arrojo Creative Director Dominic
Antiszko. “The goal is to take all the Arrojo
sites from presentation-style Web sites to an
interactive-based system.”
For starters, the look and layout of the
site has now taken on a live newslike quality,
with a news
feed, similar to
a blog, which
provides updates
on the company.
Users can make
comments on
every post and
link to Facebook,
MySpace
and Twitter.
Navigation
The redesigned arrojo between
education.com site
separate pages
has also become more seamless, so it’s easier
for visitors to move from the studio page,
for example, to the product page or the
education page.
Another addition to the education
Web site is the downloads section, where
stylists can preview Arrojo’s education
DVDs and download lessons they can
view on their computers, iPhones or iPods.
“Giving stylists the ability to choose which
lessons they want to focus on saves them
time and money, with the added bonus of
being able to access the lesson wherever
they go,” Antiszko says.
In the future, Arrojo hopes to evolve the
site into an even stronger social network
for hairdressers. “We have so much new
information to get out there, but it’s not
just one-sided,” Antiszko says. “We want to
listen to the needs and inspirations of other
stylists so we can improve as well.” —L.A.
Sponsored by The National Cosmetology Association
RETAIL THERAPY
GAME PLAN
Three- 13 Salon, Spa & Boutique’s retail strategy involves
product focus—and a little friendly competition.
When Three- 13 Salon, Spa & Boutique first opened its
doors 35 years ago in Atlanta, it had a very simple retail
strategy: Focus on selling only one product line at a time.
“We would put the product line in all the shampoo bowls,
we would put it in the stylists’ hands, and we would all talk the same talk,” says
co-founder Lester Crowell.
More than three decades later, Crowell has evolved his retail strategy to meet
the ever-changing needs of his clients, who, he’s discovered, continually want to
try new products.
“Now we pick up a new line and keep the old line for the people loyal to it,”
Crowell says. Three- 13 currently carries about 18 lines, each with its own loyal
customers and stylists.
Crowell uses several strategies to get the entire staff involved in the salon’s retail
sales. One is offering commission on a sliding scale that starts at 9 percent and goes
up to 15 percent. Three- 13 also holds in-house competitions to drive retail sales.
“We’ve had many different types of contests,” Crowell says. “We’ve done shopping
sprees and given away TVs and cash. We keep trying to change it up.”
Crowell recommends coming up with rewards that are agreeable to all of the
staff and letting them decide which product they want to concentrate on. Three-
13’s current contest rewards staff
members with money for monthly
team outings like dinners or day
trips. “We have this system where
staff members get points for
selling products,” Crowell says.
“They have a goal to get 50 points
per week, and if they make the
weekly goal, they get $25 toward
their monthly outing.”
The salon’s huge 2,200-square-
foot retail area features display
tables and a rolling shelving system.
“Putting the products on tables
is so important,” Crowell says. “It
gives people the chance to touch
the products, pick them up and
really see them.” To maintain the
customers’ interest in buying retail,
Three- 13 Salon, Spa & Boutique celebrated its 35th
anniversary with a special retail promotion.
Crowell says the staff is constantly
moving and changing the displays,
restocking the shelves with products, introducing fresh promotions and debuting
new product lines.
Three- 13 also motivates clients to buy retail through regular promotions, typically
offering a 14-percent discount to clients purchasing three products or more. But since
this year marks the 35th year anniversary of the salon’s opening, Three- 13 ran a sale
from March 13 (“3/13”) through the end of June that gave clients a 20-percent discount
when they bought any three products.
Despite the downturn of the economy, Crowell says his retail sales haven’t decreased
since last year. “It’s really so easy,” Crowell says. “People think they have to be
salespeople to sell these products, but they don’t. All they really have to do is talk to the
clients about the products they’re using.” —R.A.
The National Cosmetology Association (NCA) has launched an aggressive campaign to
help salons increase retail sales by $50 per day. That’s a $600 million infusion of cash into
salons in 2009 if just 25 percent of the 50,000 salons in the United States participate.
Visit ncacares.org for more information.
