A home care plan for every client: how to boost retail sales in your beauty salon without a sales pitch
Many beauty therapists give great advice all day long, yet find it awkward to recommend a product at the end of a treatment. It feels like selling, and that is not why you chose this work. There is a way that feels more natural: give every client a short home care plan. Two or three products, when to use them, and when the two of you will check whether they work. Retail sales then follow from the plan instead of from a pitch at the till. In this article you will read why such a plan achieves more than loose product tips, how to put it together during the treatment, where to record it, how to review it at the next appointment and how to set up your shop and your numbers around it.
Why a home care plan achieves more than loose product tips
With treatments you are tied to your calendar: more revenue means more hours or a higher price. Retail has no such limit. The client is already in your chair, your rent, insurance and equipment are running anyway, and a product she takes home costs you no extra treatment time. That is why retail is the fastest way for many salons to raise the average spend per client.
Even so, the shelves often stay full. A loose tip at the till ("this cream is lovely too") feels like a sales moment to the client and pushy to you. A plan works differently. You explain what the skin needs, which products fit and when you will look at the result together. The product then becomes part of a treatment that continues at home, not something you try to sell on top.
The result matters to the client too. The effect of a facial lasts longer when the care at home matches it. A client who experiences that comes back for the next treatment and buys the product again. If you want the broader approach to your retail revenue, including the advice conversation and follow-up after the treatment, read how to increase retail sales in your salon.
Building the plan during the treatment: three fixed moments
Don't wait until the client is at the front desk. The plan takes shape in the treatment chair, at three moments you go through the same way every time.
Moment 1: the skin analysis. Under the magnifying lamp you see what the skin needs right now. Say it out loud: dehydration from central heating in winter, a thickened outer layer, sensitivity around the nose. A remark that fits the season makes your advice instantly recognisable, because the client feels that tight skin herself.
Moment 2: naming the products while you use them. Tell her which serum you are applying and what the active ingredient does. The client gets to know the product at the moment she feels it on her skin. That works better than a leaflet or a bottle you take off the shelf later.
Moment 3: summing up the plan. Finish the treatment with the plan itself: which two or three products, when to use them (morning, evening, a few times a week) and when you will review it together. Write it on a card or send it in a short message afterwards, so she can find it again at home.
Keep the plan small. Two products the client actually uses achieve more than five that sit unopened in the bathroom. Be honest when someone does not need something, or when her current product works fine. That makes the rest of your advice credible.
Recording the plan in the client file
A plan that only lives in your head is gone by the next appointment, especially when several therapists work in the salon. So after every treatment, record what you advised, with the date and the reason.
In the client management of Salonnare you add this as a note on the client profile. That is also where you find the receipts from earlier visits, so you can see what the client paid for last time. At the next appointment you open the profile and know where you left off, even if a colleague treated the client last time.
Take care with health information. Allergies, medication and skin conditions are special category personal data under Article 9 of the GDPR. You need the client's explicit consent and careful storage. Salonnare keeps such notes and treatment photos in a separate, encrypted vault, apart from the regular client notes, and only staff with the right permission can view them. You record the client's consent in the system.
Want to know what else belongs in a client file? Read our guide to client records software for your salon.
Reviewing the plan at the next appointment
The review moment is what turns a one-off purchase into a habit. Start the next treatment with a question about the plan: is she still using the serum, does she notice a difference, is there anything that does not feel right? Compare that with what you see under the lamp now.
If it works, a repeat purchase is the obvious next step and you hardly need to say anything. If it does not work, adjust the plan. A client who sees that you take her result seriously trusts your next advice sooner than someone who is simply recommended the same product again.
Make sure that moment actually happens. Book the follow-up appointment in the calendar straight away at checkout, so the review is fixed. Salonnare sends the client a reminder by email beforehand, so the appointment is not forgotten.
The change of season is a second natural moment. In autumn the skin often needs more moisture and protection, in spring something lighter. Go through the plans of your regular clients then and adjust them at their next visit.
Setting up your shop and your numbers around the plan
Product of the month. Place a product that suits the season and the plans you write most often at eye level by the front desk or in the treatment room. A display like that works as a silent salesperson: the client sees the product you just used and asks about it herself.
Stock. The plan depends on a product being in stock. If you have to say it is sold out, the client often orders it online that same evening. With the inventory management in Salonnare you set a minimum stock level per product. A sale in the point of sale deducts stock immediately, the till warns you when a sale would take you below the stock on hand, and you get a notification as soon as a product drops below its minimum.
Loyalty. With the loyalty programme the client earns points for every euro spent, products included, and redeems them for a discount at the till on a later visit. That makes buying from you more attractive than getting the same bottle from a web shop.
Margin. Calculate your margin with amounts excluding VAT: (selling price minus purchase price) divided by the selling price. If you sell a serum for €42 excluding VAT and buy it for €21, you keep €21 and your margin is 50%. In Salonnare you record the purchase price per product, and the reports show how many units of each product you sold and what they brought in. Put the two side by side and you see which products really carry your plans and which only take up shelf space.
Still choosing a till? Read what to look for in a POS system for your beauty salon.
How to get started with Salonnare
Salonnare has a permanent free plan at €0 per month for one staff member and 50 appointments per month. It includes the online booking page, the till for cash and card, client management and email reminders. Inventory management, reports, loyalty and gift cards are added in Starter at €29 per month (up to three staff members, unlimited appointments). Pro costs €59 per month, with unlimited staff and email campaigns among other things. See all the differences on the pricing page.
Salonnare charges no marketplace commission on new clients. Every online or card payment through Salonnare does carry a transaction fee of 0.5%, with a minimum of €0.30 per payment. From Starter, online payments via iDEAL (Mollie) or Stripe go straight to your own bank account. The software works in five languages, you decide per staff member what they can see, and your data is stored in the EU.
Want to record your first home care plans right away? Start free with Salonnare and get your client profiles ready for the next appointment.
Make your advice a fixed part of every treatment
Record your home care plans on the client profile and start with Salonnare's free plan: €0 per month for one staff member and 50 appointments. Inventory management, reports and loyalty are added from Starter.
Start free with SalonnareFrequently asked questions
How do I start giving product advice if selling makes me uncomfortable?
Start with a home care plan instead of a sales moment. During the treatment, name the products you use and why, and at the end sum up what the client can do at home. The product then becomes a logical part of your aftercare. Clients experience that as expertise rather than a sales pitch, and you never have to sell anything you would not recommend yourself.
How many products should a home care plan include?
Usually two or three. Start with the basics that match what you see under the magnifying lamp, for example a cleanser and a serum or day cream. A small plan is more likely to be followed, and a client who sees results is open to an addition at the next appointment. Be honest, too, when a product she already has works fine.
Which Salonnare plan do I need for inventory management?
Inventory management is included in Starter (€29 per month) and Pro (€59 per month), as are reports and the loyalty programme. The free €0 plan includes the till for cash and card, client management, the online booking page and email reminders, for one staff member and 50 appointments per month.
Am I allowed to record clients' skin details in a digital file?
Yes, but health data such as allergies, medication or skin conditions is special category personal data under Article 9 of the GDPR. You need the client's explicit consent and must protect it especially well. Salonnare keeps such notes and treatment photos in a separate, encrypted vault that only authorised staff can access. If you are unsure about your own situation, seek legal advice.
How do I calculate the margin on my retail products?
Subtract the purchase price from the selling price, both excluding VAT, and divide the result by the selling price. A product you sell for €42 excluding VAT and buy for €21 has a margin of 50%. In Salonnare you record the purchase price per product and the reports show how much you sold of each product, so you can do that calculation product by product.