Professional salon and spa products have long had a challenge; the manufacturers exist to sell products, and of course they’d like to sell more and more of them. But many manufacturers of professional beauty products have always treaded carefully so as not to alienate the salons and spas, and licensed professionals, who use the brands in service and recommend them to clients.
Today’s Women’s Wear Daily reports that a deal has been struck between Bumble & Bumble and Sephora, enabling the prestige retailer and the salon powerhouse to share clients, and further the reach of both companies. Beginning this fall, Bumble’s professional hair care products will be merchandised at 10 Sephora locations across the country, with half of these stores receiving an interactive touch screen which will feature product and brand information. But the really interesting part is that the displays will list nearby Bumble & Bumble network salons who will redeem a $20 gift card, for use on hair services only, that the client will receive upon the purchase of 2 full-sized Bumble products at Sephora.
Sephora is, at least for now, not planning to offer beauty services to their clientele, so this solves a problem for them; they gain a professional line, and the participating salons who carry that line receive a new feed of clients. This is not the first cross-promotional initiative that Bumble has engaged in; last year, Bumble opened Bb. StylingBar at the flagship Bloomingdales in NYC, where customers could walk up and get a blow dry, or learn about Bumble products. Bumble reported a 17% increase in new clients at their nearest salon within one month of the opening of the styling bar. Bumble will in the future be offering both the styling bar, and a version of the Sephora concept called Bb.shop, to salons as well.
This idea shows that both companies are willing to think outside the box and assume some risk with their reward; salon clients might start shopping at Sephora, but conversely, Sephora clients may re-purchase the products at the professional location instead.
So, we'll see what the results are. With only 10 Sephora stores nationwide participating, out of almost 1000, both companies will be able to evaluate the outcome before rolling the program out to more locations. Cheryl Santucci, director of beauty and retail for Mario Tricoci Hair Salons and Day Spas, commented that the program may drive service sales, but salon and spa management have to train their staffs to make sure that they are selling the products to the consumer the next time. So, as is so often the case, get your sales training plans in order. No doubt, skincare will be next.
I'd love to know whether you think this is a great idea, or a scary one, for the salon and spa industry.
Tags: beauty, retail, trends
Today’s Women’s Wear Daily reports that a deal has been struck between Bumble & Bumble and Sephora, enabling the prestige retailer and the salon powerhouse to share clients, and further the reach of both companies. Beginning this fall, Bumble’s professional hair care products will be merchandised at 10 Sephora locations across the country, with half of these stores receiving an interactive touch screen which will feature product and brand information. But the really interesting part is that the displays will list nearby Bumble & Bumble network salons who will redeem a $20 gift card, for use on hair services only, that the client will receive upon the purchase of 2 full-sized Bumble products at Sephora.
Sephora is, at least for now, not planning to offer beauty services to their clientele, so this solves a problem for them; they gain a professional line, and the participating salons who carry that line receive a new feed of clients. This is not the first cross-promotional initiative that Bumble has engaged in; last year, Bumble opened Bb. StylingBar at the flagship Bloomingdales in NYC, where customers could walk up and get a blow dry, or learn about Bumble products. Bumble reported a 17% increase in new clients at their nearest salon within one month of the opening of the styling bar. Bumble will in the future be offering both the styling bar, and a version of the Sephora concept called Bb.shop, to salons as well.
This idea shows that both companies are willing to think outside the box and assume some risk with their reward; salon clients might start shopping at Sephora, but conversely, Sephora clients may re-purchase the products at the professional location instead.
So, we'll see what the results are. With only 10 Sephora stores nationwide participating, out of almost 1000, both companies will be able to evaluate the outcome before rolling the program out to more locations. Cheryl Santucci, director of beauty and retail for Mario Tricoci Hair Salons and Day Spas, commented that the program may drive service sales, but salon and spa management have to train their staffs to make sure that they are selling the products to the consumer the next time. So, as is so often the case, get your sales training plans in order. No doubt, skincare will be next.
I'd love to know whether you think this is a great idea, or a scary one, for the salon and spa industry.
Comments
I love the idea of cross promotions that ultimately can save the consumer time or money ~ styling bar in a department store? love it.:)
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for alerting us to this unique new concept. As you probably remember the worlds of retail and beauty had a pretty animated discussion at the Global Spa Summit this year in Istanbul. I don't remember if you were at that breakout session - it was moderated by futurist Edie Weiner.
With many retail companies in the room and many spa brand leaders also in attendance it was pretty obvious that there were strong opinions in both camps. I believe it was Edie who suggested that this is a good place for "thinking like an alien" to apply - her term for thinking "inside the box but from a fresh point of view."
This Bumble and Bumble and Sephora strategy is an interesting example of a new direction and it will be good for the spa industry to watch and see how/if it works. What I like about it is there is evidence that both Bumble and Bumble and Sephora are acknowledging the importance of the service providers - salons - and making an effort to make certain that salons benefit as well.
Whatever solutions are considered for retail and beauty service providers to work together have to be a win/win/win formula. The days of 'all the marbles for me' are over.
I think this is the most horrendous offense to salon professionals. I have worked with Bumble in my salon for over 10 years. The founder of the company has left and the company seems to be following the usual path of sell out hair care companies.
We have jumped through hoops for Bumble for years, to meet their standards, with constant broken promises from them. This is the last straw. The product is in Target for crying out loud- sell out like all the rest.
The people most effected here are the salon professionals who have worked so hard to make this line what it is and we are the ones that are getting let down in this whole joke of a deal.