What portion of your salon or spa business is product sales? Your answer should be something like, "significant" or you are missing a lot.
Chances are you *are* focused on the retail side so let's not dwell on that. What's next is how to manage it.
You're reading this because you have an interest in spa and salon software and technology like Enlight. Whichever salon or spa software system you're looking at, be sure it includes product management.
The right system should include everything from ordering to sales.
Here's sort of a shopping list for salon product management:
1. Barcode scanning. Be sure the system comes with a scanner and that it can read UPC Barcodes on products. Be sure the system can generate SKU numbers and corresponding barcodes; and they can be printed and applied.
2. Easy data entry. How about entering the various data, like brand, sizes, category, etc. only one time and being able to select them when you enter a new product instead of typing them over and over? How about product cloning? ... good for different sizes of the same product.
3. Low inventory alerts? Will your salon POS system let you know when you need to order?
4. Easy Purchase Orders. Your spa and salon software should be able to create and send POs to your vendors through email. Fax is so yesterday!
5. Salon Use. Manage both retail use and shop use for product that you consume in the shop, including who used it and notes.
6. Bulk Product Management. Do you buy by the case and want to break them down? How? What about by the gallon? No reason your salon software shouldn't handle that.
7. Salon Retail Sales. Scanning at checkout is a given. What about product with no barcode? If you don't want to print and apply labels, is there a good Product Search feature. How fast is it when you are busy?
8. Price Adjustments. How flexible is checkout price when you're slammed? You should be able to adjust pricing by:
- Promotion - trackable with reporting.
- Discount - on the spot.
- Override - for whatever reason just because (with manager approval).
9. Product Bundles. Can you bundle a shampoo and conditioner as its own product? Or any other combo.
10. Salon Sales Staff Credit. Can you give credit and commission to the staff member who sold each item, on a line by line basis?
11. Divvy Up the Sale. Can the products go to "house" vs. staff, e.g. in salon renter shops does the service of a renter go to their own merchant account, but products stay with house (if that's how you want it)?
12. Reports. Sales by Product by Staff. Profitability. Inventory. and more ... be sure the system you are looking has good reporting.
13. Time-Expiry Sale. You should be able to put a product on sale and the system should know when it ends.
Well, that's a lot to take in, and may be not all of it. The good news is, you can bookmark this post and refer to it if you need it.
Your salon software technology should work for you. Be sure what you invest in for your business, does more than what it should, but, does what it CAN! Now for the shameless plug ... check out Enlight and compare.
All the best.
