The way that we shop is changing. In-person browsing is quickly being replaced by online shopping in all industries, giving consumers the option to purchase products from the comfort of their homes and have them delivered straight to their doors. Has your salon done anything to make the most of this?
In our ever-changing, digital-first world, salons that offer an online store have a distinct advantage over those that don’t, providing a quicker and easier way for customers to shop while increasing online visibility and widening that all-important net of potential buyers.
Not All Online Stores are Created Equally
Back in 2020, Phorest launched Online Stores to help our salons start selling online amidst the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic. What started as a swift feature launch to help our clients generate revenue amidst unforeseen closures soon turned into one of our most successful revenue-driving software features. Since its launch, salons using our Online Store have seen huge increases in product sales, revenue generated, and customers reached. In studies conducted by Phorest, it was revealed that many salons generated, on average, an extra 50% of revenue on top of in-salon sales when using an online store. That’s a significant amount of money.
That being said, here at Phorest, we’re always looking for ways to improve our product. We asked you what else you’d like to see from our Online Store, and you answered. Here’s what we’ve added.
In-Store Pick Up
If you’re too busy spending time packing and sending orders, in-store pick-up is a lifesaver. Designed for salons who want to give clients the option to order online and pick up their products in-store, we designed this feature to allow you to reap the revenue-generating reward of having an Online Store without any of the hassle of packing and sending orders. With in-store pick-up, salons save money on postage costs, free up time spent sending orders to your delivery merchant, and allow clients to pick up their orders at a time that suits them.
Available in addition to, or instead of, home shipping, in-store pick-up is convenient for you and your clients, allowing retail products to be bought and sold in a seamless and professional manner.
Promotions
In any salon, promotions are an essential marketing tool. Incredibly, searches for discount codes on Google have increased by 100% year-on-year, meaning businesses that sell online need to be offering some kind of incentives to beat the competition and attract customers.
Here at Phorest, we’ve created Promotions to help your Online Store stay on top of its game. The simplicity of Promotions means that you can set up campaigns at the click of a button, delighting clients, saving time, and boosting revenue all at once.
Free Shipping Over X
When interviewed, a whopping 47% of shoppers said that the primary reason for abandoning an online purchase was due to a lack of free shipping, while businesses that activated free shipping saw the value of online orders rise by 30%. Give your clients a reason to spend more money on your Online Store by setting up free shipping over a certain amount.
We’ve introduced this to your Phorest Online Store, establishing “Free Shipping Over X” as a constant or promotional feature. As well as enticing customers to add more products to their baskets, free shipping has been proven to lower abandoned cart rates and encourage higher customer spending. It’s simple to set up, fully integrated with your Phorest cloud salon software system, and brings great benefits for you and your clients!
How Will This Affect My Online Store?
Like all updates to the Phorest system, the above changes to your Online Store have been made automatically and are accessible in your Phorest salon appointment software. There’s nothing left for you to do, only try out the features, and let us know what you think.
Here’s to more online sales, more revenue for your salon, and more happy clients; on our end and yours!
