Catherine Feliciano-Chon, author of A Visual Merchandising Guidebook: Health and Beauty (CatchOn and Company, 2004), shares these all-too-common beauty mistakes spas often make in their retail area.

Retail As An Afterthought

Many salons today still give retail only token consideration. Display fixtures are often crammed into hallways or entrances, and shelves are built into blank walls.

Built-In Display Units Without Adjustable Shelves

This is a rigid system that doesn’t allow for the merchandise to change. Make sure you can easily adjust shelf heights in proportion to the products they hold. Smaller bottles don’t get lost in a wide expanse of space, and tall products don’t look crowded.

Inadequate Lighting

Usually, focus is placed more on ambient lighting to enhance the overall mood of a salon than on the functional lighting needed for retailing. When it comes to lighting, think of retail as an entirely separate zone from the rest of your space. You might consider consulting a lighting specialist.

Small Signage With Script Typefaces

Script typefaces are popular for self-made signage, but they’re a headache to read. As a rule, sans-serif typefaces (those that don’t use small lines on the ends of each character) are bolder, cleaner and easier to read.

Products Displayed In Locked Cases

Locked shelves serve one purpose: storage. A shopper needs to smell, touch and try a product before she will buy it.