
Welcome to the Salon Ownerโs Podcast, Phorest FM Episode 69. Co-hosted by Killian Vigna and Zoรฉ Bรฉlisle-Springer, Phorest FM is a weekly show that puts forth a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, salon/spa marketing tips, company insights and information on attending Phorest Academy webinars. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off.
Phorest FM Episode 69
The idea behind visual merchandising is to optimise anything that can be seen by the customer inside and outside a store to get said client to come in and buy products. In the hair and beauty industry, retail displays arenโt necessarily always the centrepiece of the salon. The focus is put on customer service and the treatments provided โ rightfully so. That being said, visual merchandising is multifaceted, and regardless of the size of the display, there are ways to get those retail products to sell more, without much effort. This week on the show, Killian and Zoe are joined by Salon Summit workshop speaker and Founder of Visual Sense, Rowena Doyle to discuss all things visual merchandising.
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Transcript
Killian Vigna: Welcome to the Phorest FM Podcast episode 69. Iโm Killian Vigna.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: And Iโm Zoe Belisle-Springer. This weekโs episode is the first episode of our #30Days2Grow series, and weโre kicking it off with the founder of Visual Sense, Rowena Doyle, to discuss the power of visual merchandising in your salon.
Killian Vigna: So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and join us weekly for all your salonโs business and marketing needs.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Good morning, Killian.
Killian Vigna: Good morning, Zoe. So, exciting. Itโs the first Monday of #30Days2Grow. We just kicked it off there yesterday, or last night.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Yes. It was Sunday, so Sunday, April 1st. I know it was an odd one because people were like, โWell, itโs Easter,โ you know? Should we kick it off on Sunday? But we worked it out, and I think the challenge wasnโt too hard for a Sunday. And for Phorest FM regular listeners, just like last year when we did #30Days2Grow, this month weโre dedicating the whole month to interviews with industry thought leaders on various topics. So, it should be really, really interesting. A really good month.
Killian Vigna: Yeah. So, every Monday weโre gonna discuss different topics, but weโre also gonna talk about things that we see in the 30Days2Grow Facebook page as well. So, shed a bit of light onto that because the sign-ups for it this year were massive. And the amount of excitement in it and everything just last week alone. So, yeah. Day one in, canโt wait. So, today weโre kicking it off, then. Weโre bringing someone back from another event we had at Phorest.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Yes. So, if you were at the Salon Ownerโs Summit 2018, you probably remember we had a few additions to the Summit. So, we had, as usual, the speakers, but we also had workshops. And in those workshops, we had Rowena Doyle from Visual Sense who was talking about visual merchandising. And we just thought why not get her back on to Phorest FM this time and have a proper one-to-one chat with her?
Killian Vigna: Yeah, exactly. And it ties in with the 30Days2Grow challenge. Itโs all about like your product retail. How to really dress it up. How to really promote it online because like we were saying, you shouldnโt have to be competing with local cosmetic firms, these, or anything like that. Youโre the expert, you should be selling, your customers should be buying your products. Itโs the aftercare. You already have the right aftercare for the treatments they have, so how do we push that out and make it look really appealing? So, I suppose without further ado, welcome to the show Rowena.
Rowena Doyle: Hi, guys. How are you?
Killian Vigna: Great, yeah.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Pretty good, thank you. How are you?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah Iโm really good, thanks. Very good. All is good. Happy Easter!
Killian Vigna: Happy Easter, yeah.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Happy Easter, yeah.
Killian Vigna: Exactly. Itโs been quick. Itโs been a quick one.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Yeah. Just thinking of the Salon Summit, Iโm like how was that January and now itโs like nearly April?
Killian Vigna: Yeah, thatโs what we were saying. So, we have you on the show now, it does not feel like, what? Three months ago that that Summit was, was the 8th and 9th of January. Itโs so fast. Like it feels like just a couple of weeks ago that we were actually talking to you.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Itโs crazy. Time has just gone so fast.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: How did you enjoy your experience at the summit, actually?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, I loved it. Yeah, at first because I was like, โOh God thatโs a lot of people.โ But yeah, no I loved it. I really, really enjoyed it. And the crowd were so friendly, so that made it just easier. You know, if you have to do something like that. I just saw a lot of very happy warm faces and I was like, โOh, this is gonna be fun.โ
Killian Vigna: I think that it was different as well. So, there was yourself, there was Chris Brennan, and then there was Paddy as well. So, the whole workshops thing, it brought that like engagement interaction into the Summit for the first time. It was the first time, wasnโt it? Before it was just having speakers. So, yeah like what you were doing was great for our clients because it was getting that engagement. And kind of mixing it up because when youโre sitting on a chair for a couple of hours youโre just, youโre bound to drift off. So, it was good to get that shaping and moving. And what was it? You did three workshops throughout the day, wasnโt it?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah three workshops, yeah. One in the morning and then two kind of back to back in the afternoon. So, yeah. So, everybody got a chance to do it, which is good.
Killian Vigna: And youโre saying this is your first time to be on a podcast as well now?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, yeah Iโve been on the radio before, but Iโve never done a podcast. Which I suppose is kind of the same thing, but yeah.
Killian Vigna: Ah no, weโve more listeners.
Rowena Doyle: Donโt tell me that!
Killian Vigna: Ah no, youโll be great.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: No, so-
Killian Vigna: No, Zoe. Go for it.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: So, before we get into the nitty-gritty of the subject, can you, for the listeners that havenโt been at the Summit, can you give an introduction to yourself? Like what got you into the field? How you founded Visual Sense?
Rowena Doyle: So, I suppose I started working in retail and this area when I was actually quite young. So, I was actually 16 years of age, but I didnโt know at the time that I was doing visual merchandising. I just sort of fell into it. So, I worked in a really high-end Indonesian furniture store, and the owner sort of said, โYou know, you seem to be doing a good job here. You can look after the place.โ So, I started moving things around when they were gone buying. Making beautiful setups, buying flowers, like raiding their expense account when they were away. No, I had no problem doing that I was just like, โIโll just go buy lilies that are like really expensive.โ And literally, sales just started going up and up and up. And people were buying the whole like, you know, interior concept and saying, โOh, letโs take the flowers as well.โ
So, you know, I was kind of doing it with a passion for wanting things to look as great as I could at a young age. And then sort of finding my way into the business through studying in college, then. And then I went to work for Arnotts for quite a long time kind of doing their VM and on their VM team. So, yeah. So, like it was a funny journey. And I went travelling, then, to Australia. Did it over there as well for David Jones, and decided when I came back in the recession to start up Visual Sense. And because there wasnโt a lot of things happening in the area, but I really felt it was the right time for retailers to try to do something to help them basically boost sales in a really tough time. So, yeah I founded it then, started it up, and just sort of, yeah, went on the road. Just built clients up, and then here I still am six years later. Still standing.
Killian Vigna: Building it all up from experience, as well.
Rowena Doyle: From experience.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: And it must have been quite a challenge to build that up during the recession, as well.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Absolutely. It was kind of, it was difficult to get people to buy into it in terms of, you know, a lot of people were having sales at the time. So, visuals werenโt a priority. The one thing that did go for me was a lot of people were letting staff go at the time, which is obviously not a good thing, but at the time it was a good thing for us because we were an โoutsourceโ business. So, we werenโt as expensive. So, we were there to fill a lot of that. So, thatโs kind of the route I went down. Kind of like weโll kind of be an add-on. So, we actually got a big gig with Clerys Department Store. Kind of obviously when it was open, but that was my first big kind of client. And kind of once when we got them, everything kind of came after that. Because once you kind of have one big name behind you, everybody knows then your work.
Killian Vigna: Yeah, itโs like a testimonial.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, yeah. Exactly.
Killian Vigna: So, you were saying that kind of you were 16 years of age. You almost fell into this line of work. And I see how you could kind of do that, so I suppose do visual merchandising without realizing it. Because I know from when I was younger and working in a shop as well you were always told, โAlright, like youโve got the kind of high end stuff always top of the shelf. Youโve got your basics at the bottom.โ You know, these kind of like simple sciences, that whereas like a music playlist even when you walk into a store could have an influence on what youโre buying. But around the visual merchandising that you were saying like you studied in college and that youโre doing now, like are there any other theories that people wouldnโt, I suppose, be as aware of about display products. And what are the best ways to get your retail displays to stand out? Especially when youโre in a salon?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Like I think, like we kind of work in with different areas. And thereโs always sort of three simple ones that we follow. So, for me, number one in terms of a technique would be repetition. And I spoke a little bit about that at the summit. In terms of having product that is repeated a couple of times within different areas of the space. So, it tends to take people a little bit longer to process information. So, usually, if they just see something once, they donโt remember it. But if they see it three times. So, that like, for me, is always a really simple one, but actually always the most effective. So, and kind of from there we would add on communication, which would be bigger now than it was a couple years ago. So, in terms of having, you know, kind of a unique voice around your products, and what the value of them is, or what their benefits are. And like really clever signage as close to the display units as you can. Thatโs a really, really effective one. And actually now is probably becoming just as important as the display itself.
Yeah, and weโre always telling people as well, like, โItโs retail, so you know you can be a bit fun with this signage.โ You can always be, you know, like let people like maybe laugh at something. It doesnโt always have to be very serious. So, I always say to people, โIf itโs fun, or informative, or a powerful message, or maybe if itโs educational.โ So, it kind of needs to fit within those categories. And you had just mentioned it there earlier, number three for us is always your senses. And obviously very important in this industry. Iโm always saying to clients, โLike, youโve got to engage in peopleโs senses.โ So, their sight, their smell, and the sound.
So, you know, even more so now to think as kind of luxurious as you can. Because I suppose like anything, like somebody like boots can put a sticker and say like, โThis is for testing.โ But like the industry of a beauty expert is to really engage people and be as kind of luscious as they can to get people to want to touch things, taste things, smell things. As much as your senses are heightened, the more likely you are to buy things. So, thatโs a massive one.
Killian Vigna: So, thatโs when you see like when you go into a shop and they give you the tasters with the food and things like those. Or even when you walk into a spa and youโve got like those aroma therapy kits going and you just instantly feel relaxed.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. As much as that as you can. And if, you know, in terms of like product. You know, if you want people to buy product, you know, I think now as I said like yes you can have little testers out of stuff, but youโve got to think more creatively because, you know, everyone does that. So, if youโre really an expert in it, you know, how can you really go out and maybe buy really special jars and make it look really kind of, you know, really like appealing. So, people almostโฆ Like itโs like when you want people to kind of almost live in your retail space. And like even sometimes the ingredients that go into things, like getting those and using them as part of the displays. That will work really well.
Killian Vigna: Well, thatโs a really good idea. Like if itโs got different flowers in it, maybe have them on display with the product is it?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, like if thereโs lavender, or something of lemon, like absolutely like have those in the display. It just makes it so much easier for people to understand what youโre trying to sell them.
Killian Vigna: So, we have the senses and we have the communication. So, the communication have it like fun, informative, educational. You were saying about repetition, there. What would you mean by repetition, now? Is this kind of like if youโre selling, letโs say a gift card, is that where you have it on like the coffee table, then have another sign at the, I suppose, the actual service desk, and then at the point of sale? Is that what you mean by repetition?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Like itโs two kind of ways, I suppose. Yeah, itโs repetition in terms of like sometimes if weโre working from the faรงade right through to the till area to where people are sitting down, you would have that messaged on the same time. But sometimes what you see is maybe the signโs different, the product is a different color, so they might have a yellow one here and a blueโฆ Like itโs always better to stick with the same message, the same colors, or the same product color. So, itโs kind of just repeating yourself, and yeah having it maybe at different touch points. You know, three or four maybe.
Killian Vigna: Yeah, I suppose like they say. Consistency is key, isnโt it?
Rowena Doyle: Absolutely. Consistency is king.
Killian Vigna: Or king, yeah. King.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: So, we talked about this a bit offline earlier, but we were talking about trends. And, you know, sometimes itโs easy to see trends going on in different industries, and youโre thinking right, well how do I bring that trend intoโฆ You know, how do I apply that into my industry? Is there any current trends that could potentially work for the hair and beauty industry at the moment?
Rowena Doyle: Like I think thereโs one big trend at the moment. And I was at a conference last week and it was brought up again, so Iโm seeing it a lot. Particularly in sort of fashion retail, and like a lot of retailers, it will probably go across all retailers. Like that use of space now being kind of almost like we want to break that rule book in retail. So, itโs not just for your main product that you sell, or service that you sell, but what could you add on to that to make people come there for that? And then maybe buy your product, or use afterwards. So, hospitality and retail is definitely merging. So, in terms of like coffee shops, juice bars.
And like thatโs, to me, sort of makes sense in the beauty world. Particularly something like a juice bar. And like I think sometimes people, then, like everybody does, you start to think too big with it. And, you know, it doesnโt have to be. It could be done on a very small scale, but it is sort of the future of it, really. Where, so, you know, thereโs something else there. So, I think thatโs a massive one, and I think that those two kind of areas kind of fit together.
Killian Vigna: That is an interesting one because you see like more and more, the likes of, especially coffee shops pop up. Like I was walking down Temple Bar the other day and I saw, itโs a clothing store thatโs actually a coffee shop. So, I suppose, what Iโm asking here is whereโs that line where youโre kind of like offering extra services in your salon where you eventually get to the stage of, โDo we do cross promotion? Or do we just offer like really good coffee?โ Do you get what I mean? So, youโre still a salon at heart, but youโre offering other services to kind of get people in the door. Is it a good idea to do more like cross promotions with other local retailers?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Like you canโฆ Yeah, I suppose like you see that a lot like. I mean someone like Topshop do that a lot where they bring in something complimentary, but more within the product line, if that makes sense. So, they might have popup like jewelry brand or something. And that works well for them, so you know you could look at, if youโre in a salon you know, there might be somebody in the industry, or some product in the industry, that sort of fits well with yours where they do popups at the weekend. Or, you know, it doesnโt always have to be permanent. And I would suggest anyone to try the more like, you know, slow approach to it and try different types of popups. You could do something every other weekend with somebody. That could be a way to do it.
Killian Vigna: Yeah, I like that popup idea because it keeps rotation on your products, as well. So, every weekend you have a different display. So, some people might be keen to come in just to see what new products you have, and I suppose itโs kind of like the taste of local. So, if thereโs any local retailers, or startup businesses, or anything like that and youโre kind of bringing them in to have a little retail space. But itโs not lost stock for you either because they take back whatโs not sold, then.
Rowena Doyle: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah and itโs good for you, and then for them itโs also probably good exposure to a new customer. So, you know, itโs definitely something maybe with your team you could sit down and kind of brainstorm and see if there was potential within maybe somebody else. And go online and look on Pinterest and see if you can get some ideas. But absolutely yeah because popups are just much more simple. Keep it more straightforward.
Killian Vigna: So, letโs say you have these, the popup guys, come into you and they set up. Or you have your own promotions or anything like that, that youโre putting together yourself. Do you have any like recommended strategies for incorporating special promotions, or even for pricing, that tend to be most effective?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, itโs funny because, you know, price, and promotions, and all this kind of area are also something that we talk a lot about because, you know, for so long there we had a lot of promotions, and sale, and you know like obviously coming off the back of the recession. And then like it feels like now this sort of new retail world is developing, and I suppose the customer, definitely for a lot of the research weโve done, is more interested in the benefits and the value that theyโll add to their lives, or whatโs in them, and the kind of healthier they are. So, like we tend to think back to the communication one. If you incorporate something in promotional-wise, and if youโre trying to do signage, sometimes that works better to be more around the actual product. And then people will now start to just buy into it more than they used to before. I definitely think thatโs probably the way to go with it.
Killian Vigna: Youโre not technically competing on price because if people want cheap products, theyโll find their cheap products. Theyโll go to their local euro store, or pound world, or anything like that. But youโre actually providing quality products. Because like theyโve spent enough on the treatments in your salon, youโre not gonna give them cheap products to take care of it. So, like that, youโre not competing on the whole discount front, there. You shouldnโt be competing on the discount front.
Rowena Doyle: Absolutely. Like, you know, as you said it people will go and find that stuff. And look, if they donโt want to buy the product afterwards, they might the next time. You know, if somebody is at that level and spending that kind of money on those sort of services, you know they do care about what they use. So, yeah, and I think to keep within your expertise, it nearly can be damaging to do too much promotions as well.
Killian Vigna: Yeah because then youโre confusing them, as well, arenโt you? Itโs almost like walking in and just seeing deal signs everywhere.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, and people donโtโฆ You know, exactly, and people donโt really go there for that. And, you know, as you said thereโs plenty of other places. I mean you can just go down to smaller like places and get whatever. You know, go toโฆ You know what I mean? Thatโs a different sort of retailer. But like if youโre like a standalone beauticianโs, or a hair salon, or any of those, you know that to me youโre seen as an expert in the industry. So, your products are also expert-y products, as well, so.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Yeah. And actually Iโve had a client question that came in. The question was, โWhatโs the best way to post about products online?โ Do you take product shots? Or do you include people with the products? Like is there any particular tips on that?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah because I actually follow quite a lot of different brands. Iโm actually, yeah, well Iโm a bit of an online social media โฆ Thatโs all [inaudible 00:20:12] me off my phone. But I think that somewhere like hair salons, I love when you see really happy looking clients, or happy looking teams, as people. And particularity in that area, for some reason I think itโs really engaging and you just want to, you know, you know youโre gonna get a great experience there. And they also have all that content. And I was talking to somebody recently about this, I think this industry has one of the best sort of content creations than a lot of other industries in terms of the products they use, the treatments they give. I just think they definitely have a lot of opportunities.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Itโs all very visual, you know? So, itโs very Instagram-able to a certain extent.
Rowena Doyle: You have a space, as well, so. Yeah, I think in the salons, like the people part is great. People love people, and people buy off people, So, you know, if you see that kind of coming across on social media, like instantly itโll definitely make people want to be there more than just kind of dead sort of shots. Which, you know, thereโs nothing personal about it. I think sometimes with the beauty shots, in terms of products, what kind of is really effective I think if the picture goes up and then there might be two or three little bits of text on the visual. And it says, you know, what the benefits to your skin are, whatever. But itโs very fast visual impact instead of having a big load of text in the post underneath. I think theyโre quite strong.
But yeah, like I think itโs massive to even look at your own space that you have and let people do that for you. Like if you make your space as photograph-able as you can, like customers are gonna take pictures and put it on their social. And theyโll kind of do that job for you. Like, I would be going down that road. You know, in terms of like just really nice little areas, or the coffee that you get, or, you know, test, or you know like people love taking pictures and putting it up. So, I would beโฆ Yeah, I would look at that nearly as muchโฆ if I had a salon, I would, yeah.
Killian Vigna: Yeah. And itโs a really good approach because youโre taking it away fromโฆ Weโre so used to seeing these fake stock photos of like, you know, that guy in the office whoโs also a doctor, whoโs also such and such, holding these products. And youโre looking at it going, itโs just, like itโs just too stock-y. Where if youโre using your own salon, your own clients, your own staff, itโs way more personable. Itโs way more, I suppose, believable. And people have a much better connection with that.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Absolutely. Like itโs really just about, like itโs social media, so itโs kind of connecting, as you said, with people. And, you know, yeah thereโs nothing worse than seeing loads of like stock images that, you know, youโre kind of not really, you donโt know anything about the business then, really, and what itโs like.
Killian Vigna: Yeah. So, youโve got your salon all together, youโve got your stock all together, and now I suppose youโre coming up with your strategy of, โHow do we make our products visual? How do we them really stand out? How do we make our clients want to come to us, rather than to go down the road to the local pound store?โ So, as a salon owner, like we always try to kind of come up with ways that theyโre not doing everything on their own. Theyโre using their team. So, with this one, because itโs very visual, is there any sort of like personalities in your team that you would recommend to get on board with the whole visual side of it? You know the way we always have like the bubbly goes, then we have the more kind of like results driven sort of guys? Like, how do you identify the right people in your team to, I suppose, share the responsibility of this role?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. I love this question because Iโm obsessed in my business with people delegating to staff. When I work with any clients because you just find great people in retail, and usually theyโre just maybe havenโt gone forward, or theyโreโฆ So, I love trying to find those people. So, and I actually just had this conversation with somebody about a week ago and they were kind of taking it all on themselves as the owner. And I said to them, โThereโs definitely someone in your team who can do this job better than you.โ And she was like, โOkay.โ
Killian Vigna: Iโd say youโve got some look there, yeah.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Yeah I can imagine the face you got there.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Letโs just say we both just looked at each other for a minute, but-
Killian Vigna: Slowly walk out the door.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. I just went, โWill I leave now?โ But I knew that we were never gonna get anywhere, and I could see that it was actually just making her stressed. So, we went about finding somebody, and like thereโs always someone within, particularly in this industry, whoโd be creative. So, for me, itโs kind of like a mix, as youโve mentioned, some of the traits there. Like, they kinda do need to be creative, and have a creative eye. But it is a creative industry, so Iโd say a lot of people have that. But, again, I would say yes, they need to be a little bit strategic. And maybe a good communicator, so I always say if thereโs somebody whoโs quite good, has a good tone of voice for your business in terms of on the shop floor, or retail space, that maybe they could be the person.
And itโs kind of like a process of elimination. And I have to say, in most cases through most industries Iโve worked with, youโll always find one or two really good people. And sometimes the one that least surprised you, who would be like, โOh, Iโd love to take this on.โ And they might have a really great camera, and theyโre like, โOh, and I study photography part-time.โ And the ownerโs like, โWhat?โ And then all these things start to come out like, yeah.
Killian Vigna: Yeah, so like itโs, again, ask your staff, like, โWould you be interested?โ Because the way I look at this role is this shouldnโt be a task or a chore. This should be a fun job, so I suppose finding who in your team whoโs really interested in actually doing this and making it look good. Donโt turn around and go to someone, โYou have to do this.โ Or, โThis is your job to do it.โ Because then theyโre not going to enjoy it, and thatโs gonna, I suppose, you know when you like, I suppose, the emotion through the products [crosstalk 00:26:28] Yeah, yeah. Like, youโll notice that from the way that theyโveโฆ Someone who doesnโt want to do it, youโll notice that they didnโt enjoy doing it from the way theyโve laid it out. Compared to someone whoโs actually having fun doing this.
Rowena Doyle: Definitely. And youโre kind ofโฆ Itโs like anything. If youโre doing something, sort of forcing a person to do it, and itโll never end well. And then there could be somebody watching in the sidelines who would love to do it. So, yeah, absolutely. Like, you really need to find the right person because like what a great job to do. And, as you said, so much fun. So, they really, really need to love it. And if they do, then, theyโll just go beyond your expectations with it.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Iโm thinking this off the top of my head, but like do you have any brands, or even other visual merchandisers that possibly inspire your work, and that salon owners could even learn from?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Thereโs so many, isnโt there? I spend a lot of my time on Pinterest, people. So, yeah like I loveโฆ Like I definitely think, and Iโll say this to clients in like home, or fashion, likeโฆ You should sometimes look without. Outside your industry, definitely. Because sometimes you can get just ideas that you could try and adapt to your own. So, I mean, but within your industry, I follow the Drybar, the American, you know, itโs just blow drys only. So, they have an amazing visual identity. And I love, I always use their product displays on my presentations because theyโre always so well laid out. And they follow a really good process, in terms of the way they use all the different variants of merchandising. So, I use them a lot, actually.
Topshop are a big one I follow for like trends with customer service, customer experience, visual identity, popups. Like, they create very new ideas very fast. So, theyโre always kind of ahead. And I think, you know, they were the firstโฆ You know, when we talk about this popup, they did, you know, that like nearly two years ago. And people are only doing it now, so I think theyโre a really good one. Doesnโt matter what industry because they end up using lots of different โฆ Like theyโve done, like makeup popups. You know what I mean? So, I think, from a retail point of view, theyโre a good one to follow. And I donโt know, thereโs Story, which is a shop, and they basically change their layout every month to a completely different style. So, the whole store changes. So, they treat it almost like a magazine. Like itโs an amazing concept. And-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Thatโs very interesting, yeah.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, theyโre like, for right now, I think anybody should be watching what theyโre doing. So, theyโll have the whole place in one theme, and then you could go in a month later and itโs completely different. Like, it just, you know, for them it is that kind of, you know, they have a lot of the same kind of clients coming through in this particular area. So, I mean, people must just feel theyโre going into a brand new space every time. And they do lots of different products. Like, they have some beauty, they have fashion, they have home, so they have everything. So, it actually does look like a magazine, to be fair.
Killian Vigna: Thatโs an absolutely brilliant idea for client retention, as well, because if I knew that thatโs what you were doing, that every month you were changing your theme, Iโm going to want to come back and see what the next monthโs theme is going to be. Iโll get my hair done a lot sooner. A lot more regular.
Rowena Doyle: Like, itโs likeโฆ Yeah, like if youโre always the sameโฆ Like, you know, people just get a bit bored, or they just kind of becomeโฆ like a mundane customer, just coming in now. And then all of a sudden they might just find themselves somewhere else. So, I think itโs a reallyโฆ Like I would follow them, and I would look at ideas that they do, and take it from a big perspective. Or a small perspective in terms of even the way they change the location of their till sometimes just to like keep it more exciting. Like, thatโs such a simple thing. But obviously when they started their strategy, they made sure that that was movable, and so that like basically people wouldnโt like go to the same place. And they could use the walls differently, so yeah itโs very good.
Killian Vigna: I really like that answer there. I really like the whole idea of look outside your industry. Itโs such a, itโs just something that weโre always going on about because even in your own day-to-day, if youโre just focusing on what other people in your industry are doing, eventually the industry is going to flat line, nearly, because everyone is just copying each other in that one little clique, or that one little circle. Where, by looking into other industries, thereโs always innovation, always new developments.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Youโll get way more, youโll get a lot more ideas. I think for anyone in business, like, I mean I know myself, as well, like I donโt try to look too much at what other kind of styles of my business, I try to look at completely different businesses, as well. And once you sort of get into that, you start to kind of get, โOh, God, actually. We could try something like that and nobody else, as you said, is doing that within our group.โ
Killian Vigna: Yeah. So, like some really good information there. And I think itโs some brilliant stuff to really kick off the 30Days2Grow, this whole visual mark-โฆ Sorry, this whole visual merchandising. I keep saying, โmarketing.โ I donโt know whatโs going on there today.
Rowena Doyle: Do you call it that as well?
Killian Vigna: Yeah because it is kind of, it is essentially marketing at the same time, as well.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, itโs essentially, like weโd use the word visual marketing, as well. Visual identity because itโs all kind of merged together now. Like, it used to be sort of one separate role within aโฆ Somebody like a big, like Selfridges, used to have that person as one, two, three different people. But theyโre all in the same kind of team now, itโs all just sort of the same people because, you know, itโs all justโฆ Itโs all just visual, really.
Killian Vigna: Yeah. Like you look at the windows of Macyโs and stuff in America, like itโs always changing. So, for anyone, especially in this weekโs that our theme is visual merchandising, or marketing, do you have any like, I suppose, quick get started steps? Or next steps from here for anyone that is looking to change it up a little bit?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Like I think โฆ I think I said this at the summit. What we get people to do a lot of the time is take photographs of your space, and print them out, and go and look at them with maybe someone from your team like the person we talked about earlier. Or someone else, it doesnโt matter. Or maybe not someone even, somebody else that doesnโt work in your salon. Somebodyโs opinion that you trust, and look at those photographs, and then look at your kind of, your VM and your and your visual marketing from that perspective. Not so much when youโre in the space because youโre totally distracted by everything thatโs going on. And I think when people do that, they see a very different view of their space. So, I think itโs a good, simple thing to do. It doesnโt take that much time. And, again, maybe like, you know, finding somebody in the business and sitting down with your team. And if you can pinpoint someone whoโd love to even try it, I think is a really good plan.
Killian Vigna: So, you recommend let your own staff kind of just come up with their own new ideas, and just I suppose A/B test stuff. So, like, whatโs the worst that can go wrong? Today, the display looks like this. Next week, the display looks like that.
Rowena Doyle: Just, yeah. And get them to make a little plan, and like we always say to people, โJust measure it, as well.โ Like, in terms of say itโs because, you know, something works and you sell products, then, you have somewhere to start.
Killian Vigna: Iโm just thinking you could nearly haveโฆ So, your staff members, so the guys who do want to take this on as a job or responsibility, you could nearly do like an incentive with this. So, if itโs Mary taking charge of it this week, what sales does she get? And if itโs Jessica doing it next week, what sales does she get? So, could do a little like gamification, bit of competition going on there?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, of course. Like, all competition is good. Healthy competition. Once you keep it healthy.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Killian loves the competitions.
Killian Vigna: I love a bit of competititance, competit-โฆ Yeah, canโt even say the word.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, yeah. Good teams will love that approach. Like, if theyโre a strong team, they love to just have something like that. And maybe thereโs a pin board out the back of the, you know, where their staff area is. Or offices, and they might put their pictures up on that, and to kind of keep like a story board of everything. So, we say that to a lot of clients, especially in retail. Like, weโre not always the most creative and visual, so I always urge people to get a big, massive pin board and just get images that they like, or aspire to. That even if they canโt do right now, but they might do it in six months or a year, and pin them all up. And that just keeps people thinking about it, and motivated about it, and yeah. Gives you kind of aspiration.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: You could even use the little save option in Instagram. Where you can save photos.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah. Just keep it on your, like, agenda.
Killian Vigna: What are those things they call this, like a brand board? Or a creativity board? Where like that you just take colors, pictures, inspiration, and you justโฆ Very similar to what youโre saying there, but youโre just kind of pinning it all to the board and youโre coming up with your whole plan then, isnโt it? Is it a brand board or something?
Zoe Belisle-Springer: White board?
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, like a [inaudible 00:36:10] Call it brand board, visual board.
Killian Vigna: Itโs a board with a lot of images.
Rowena Doyle: Yeah, itโs a board with a lot of images. And they can be fun, too, for the staff to do. And like, as well, if that person who you kind of identified on your team, they could kind of start it off, and yeah. Kind of gives them like almost like a focus of what itโs all gonna look like. Because sometimes people will, you know, theyโll have all these ideas, but to actually put them into, you know, to start them off they might need to just get it all out somewhere. So, that can actually work for a lot of people.
Killian Vigna: Well, listen, Rowena. Thatโs absolutely brilliant, thereโs some loads of information there, and itโs definitely good for kick starting this 30Days2Grow campaign. I was about to say competition again. Whatโs wrong with me? And it was great to get an insight to what you were actually talking about in the workshop at the Salon Ownerโs Summit.
Rowena Doyle: Thereโs a lot of information there.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: No, but itโs great because itโs an area that I think that a lot of people feel a bit intimidated by. Especially if they donโt really know how to go about in the first place. So, no, I think this is gonna be very, very helpful for many, many people.
Rowena Doyle: Good, good. Iโm glad.
Killian Vigna: Well, thanks very much.
Rowena Doyle: Thanks a million.
Killian Vigna: So, that was Rowena Doyle talking about the visual merchandising, and just covering a bit more information to what sheโd already given you from the workshops in the Salon Ownerโs Summit. So, it was good to get her on the show, and just share all of that knowledge with everyone.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Yeah, absolutely. And it kicks in at a perfect time on week one of #30Days2Grow, retail week. So, for anyone who doesnโt know about #30Days2Grow, weโve been talking about it for quite a few weeks now, but essentially itโs started on April 1st, Sunday, and every day for 30 days, we provide you with a simple and easy to execute challenge thatโs designed to get your clients coming back in more often, spending more. And along the wa,y we provide you with exclusive tips, ideas, templates on how to accomplish each of the tasks. So, if you want to join, itโs not too late. Weโre at the very, very start of the challenge. You can join on www.30days2grow.com, and thatโs a 30 and 2 numeric. So, if you want to register there, itโs free and weโll get you all the details through email. So, unless you have anything, Killian, on your side?
Killian Vigna: Yeah, itโs just pretty much the standard. If you have any feedback, feel free to leave us a review on iTunes, or on Stitcher, weโre always looking for suggestions on how to improve the show.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: So, have a wonderful week, good luck with the retail, and weโll catch you next Monday.
Killian Vigna: All the best.
Thanks for reading!
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