Retail FOMO

Retail FOMO: The fear of missing out on the perfect shopping day. A feeling of anxiety that an amazing sale may currently be happening somewhere, often the result of seeing posts on a social media/website.

The most important question salon owners should be asking themselves: why should customers leave their house and come to my salon?

The perfect salon visit – for you AND your guest

On any given morning, your salon guest or potential guest – we’ll call her Susan – wakes up, checks her phone and sees a fun social media post on your business Instagram page: “I love this tanning salon! They spoil me!” with a pic of a girl after her tanning sesh, looking all cute, rockin’ a messy bun and a glowing, radiant tan AND holding a shopping bag full of beauty products. Retail FOMO spreads through Susan’s body … she can’t miss out … she’s dressed and out the door!
In the car, before she leaves for the salon, Susan’s on your salon’s app, site, page or whatever and a “flash sale” banner ad pops up. Score! It’s her favorite lotion line with a new scent. The ad says, “Come try it for FREE and it’s on SALE!”
Excited already, Susan enters your salon and is greeted by a smiling tanning professional who’s just as excited to see her. Tablet in hand, the very engaging salon hostess can’t wait to show Susan everything that’s happening at the salon on that day.
There’s a cool vibe in this salon – no front counter at all, just an inviting lobby space with retail beauty products displayed on five-foot-tall islands made entirely of rustic-looking crates. One holds bronzers, one has all bath & body products, there’s even one with just accessories, plus several more. The point is that it’s cool-looking and too enticing for Susan not to browse around while waiting for her sunbed session.

The most important question salon owners should be asking themselves: why should customers leave their house and come to my salon?

Our super-hostess sees on the tablet that Susan liked the “free sample” Insta post and asks, “ready to try that new one?” Susan is guided to one of the displays where she smells, touches and tries the new product. Susan’s in love with the new scent and is encouraged by the salon staff to comment on social media right then and there. For her efforts, she’s rewarded with another free packette of the new product to tan with today.
After her beauty nap, Susan heads back out to the cool retail area. The super-attentive salon pro is right there, asking for a full review of the new product. Of course, Susan loves it and announces to other guests in the lobby how amazing it is.
Our super-girl closes the sale by selling Susan a sweet bag deal with products featuring the new fragrance for $109. But she doesn’t stop there! She uses all the good conversation time to take Susan to one more display on the way out, where she plants the seed about how good facial-tanning products are – AND tosses one more free sample in Susan’s bag – just because!
As your elated guest leaves the salon with her own glowing tan and shopping bag full of beauty products, our super-hostess even snaps a selfie to post … and spread even more retail FOMO!

The perfect salon visit is complete. FOMO cured … for now. And the best part of the story is that Susan could never feel this great and spoiled by purchasing the product on the internet!