posted on: December 7, 2023
Are you stuck on how to hit your six-figure income goal? You may have left your best idea on the shelf, i.e., retail products. Whether you’re a solo esthetician or spa owner, you can boost your revenue by selling products to clients. And with PocketSuite, it’s easy to set up an e-commerce store and sell products to your clients online.
In this article, you’ll learn how to make money from online product sales and get expert advice from real estheticians using PocketSuite to sell products to their clients.
Why is retail important for spas?
According to a 2020 spa profitability report, retail sales can average anywhere from 5% to 30% of spa revenue. So, there’s massive potential for retail products to make a significant impact on the financial performance of your spa business.
Of course, your clients love your skin treatments. But you can offer them even more value with high-quality retail products. According to Tina Bierod, who has run Bee Beautiful AZ for the last 13 years, 80% of a client’s at-home skincare routine can change or maintain their skin. So, your clients are no doubt looking for top-tier skincare product recommendations.
Take out the middleman and sell products like facial oils, cleansers, and eye creams yourself. You’ll boost your revenue and build a stronger relationship with your clients. It’s a win-win.
How do I sell retail to my clients?
Selling products to clients doesn’t have to be difficult. You can set up an e-commerce store in minutes with the PocketSuite app. You don’t need any other app or integration.
You may be tempted to use e-commerce giants like Etsy or Shopify to sell your spa products. But these platforms don’t offer solutions specifically for service-based business owners. And as an esthetician, your online store has to work double duty. PocketSuite is an all-in-one platform. You book clients for services and sell products all in one app.
Here’s how to sell retail products to your spa clients and use PocketSuite to boost your online product sales.
1. Stock up on high-quality products
The first step to online product sales is choosing the right product. With high-quality goods in your inventory, you’ll attract clients and boost your income.
Nicole Boan, owner of Skin By Nicole, started selling products to scale her business revenue. She says that cleansers and toners perform best because clients refill them every 3–4 months.
Pro Tip: Offer subscriptions for product refills every few weeks. That way, clients don’t have gaps in their skin care regimen.
For best results, find products that are trending and helpful to clients and can bring in recurring revenue. For example, if you specialize in chemical peels or facials, you can sell sunscreen or serums to help clients care for their skin post-treatment. An in-demand product that adds real value to your clients’ lifestyles is gold for your online store.
If your clients love the product, they’ll value your opinion more as an esthetician. And they’ll tell their friends, so, a great skin care product in your online store can also lead to repeat bookings.
Typically, estheticians and spa owners sell:
- Facial cleansers and oils
- Creams or serums
- Lotions and soap
- Wax and waxing kits
- Accessories, like towels or brushes
- Digital products, like skincare regimens and coaching videos
- Health supplements like collagen
- Merchandise
You can buy products from wholesalers like Alibaba and Ulta or even make them yourself. When you find the perfect products, list them on your PocketSuite ordering site. Clients can purchase them online and you can manage your product inventory all in the app.
2. Create product upsells
Upselling is one of the best methods to grow your e-commerce store. There’s a good chance you sell products that complement your spa treatments, like an after-care kit for a Brazilian wax.
Lynnette Beamon, the owner of The Vault Aezthetics, recommends adding after-care products to your client’s first appointment because “it’s something they will repurchase when they run out.”
The best part is that you have a better chance of making the sale because you know your client needs the product.
In the PocketSuite app, you can toggle products as add-ons for specific services. Your product will be upsold to the client while they’re checking out. It’s like a small push to take them over the finish line (i.e., hit “Add to Cart”).
3. Organize shipping and fulfillment
To run a successful online store for your spa business, you’ll need to work out the logistics, meaning getting the order to your clients. PocketSuite makes it easy to manage shipping and fulfillment for your online store. You can give your clients flexibility by offering shipping and pickup as delivery options.
In the app, you can set your shipping preferences and delivery fees. The app automatically calculates shipping rates based on things like weight or shipping provider. But you set a flat shipping rate if you prefer.
4. Offer flexible payment options
If you’re looking to increase your retail sales, it’s important to offer multiple payment options. This is the best way to ensure clients complete their purchases. These days, clients expect multiple payment options. You can avoid abandoned carts and keep up with your competition by setting up simple and convenient payments.
It shouldn’t be a chore to accept payments for product sales. In the PocketSuite app, you can accept credit cards online, use the “Mark Paid” feature for cash, or use a card reader or your mobile phone to accept payments with Tap To Pay.
Tina Bierod, the owner of Bee Beautiful AZ, enjoys selling products on PocketSuite because the available setup options make it “easy to process orders, bill, and collect payment.”
5. Boost marketing and promotions
Setting up your online store is just one piece of the puzzle. To see your retail sales grow, put some time into marketing your products to potential customers.
There are countless ways to market your products, from emails to ads to social media. And marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. Nicole Boan of Skin By Nicole adds links to her online store in her Instagram stories. This makes it super easy for clients to browse her shop while they’re scrolling online.
Another way to put your e-commerce site on the map is through lead nurturing, or retargeting contacts that have engaged with your business in the past. They’re more likely to take action on your promotion because they have experience with your business.
PocketSuite can help you collect and target leads to boost sales for your online store by creating automated SMS marketing campaigns for a curated list of contacts. Text marketing has industry-high deliverability rates, so you can sit back and watch the sales roll in!
For example, our pros use Smart Campaigns to send follow-up messages to clients who purchase products from their online store. Perhaps you’ll send skin care tips three days after their products have been delivered using the “Completed Order” campaign template.
Either way, your clients stay informed and excited about their orders. It beats sending many instructions (that your clients likely won’t read) and keeps your business at the top of their minds.
Are you sold?
It’s easy to sell retail to your spa clients. And you don’t want to miss out on the boost to your income. All you need is the right platform to create an automated online store.
Easily run your skin care business with free online scheduling, credit card processing, and more from the ASCP Edition of PocketSuite.
ASCP has partnered with PocketSuite to bring you a customized, easy-to-use phone app that lets you focus on what matters most—your clients.
Businesses on PocketSuite see an average increase of 30% in earnings, and you can get set up in 15 minutes by choosing from curated pre-loaded settings or customizing the app for your practice.
Included with ASCP membership
ASCP’s edition of PocketSuite is yet another reason that an ASCP membership is the best value in the profession. Join ASCP today to access ASCP’s edition of PocketSuite, as well as the following benefits our members love:
- ASCP SkinPro is the must-have app for estheticians! Designed to aid in skin analysis by putting the essential knowledge of contraindications and best practices for skin-related conditions and ingredients at your fingertips.
- 100+ on-demand educational videos on topics including the latest techniques and business best practices.
- Discount partners who help you save money in your life and your career.
- Professional liability insurance that sets the standard in skin care.
- Advanced Esthetics Insurance coverage for qualified estheticians practicing needling treatments, laser procedures, permanent makeup services, and more.
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