Retail Items

Swimwear Sales-Savvy

These days, an indoor tanning salon is much more than a place for customers to tan—in fact, it can be a great place to shop. The new trend of the boutique salon, which offers clients a chance to pick up cute swimwear after a tanning session, quickly is gaining ground as a way for salons to set themselves apart in a crowded industry marketplace. For those who are thinking of taking the plunge, there are a few things to keep in mind.

If your salon is located near the coast, or in a warm, sunny climate like Arizona, swimwear probably is a closet staple for your clients. Similarly, if a large part of your clientele is likely to travel for spring break—say, for instance, your salon is right next to large college campus—you can bet that they’ll need something to wear to their vacation hot spot. Why not take advantage of those bikini-dollars?

The type of swimwear you choose to sell at your salon can make or break your retail efforts. If your clients lean toward the conservative side, string bikinis and thongs are probably not the way to go. Get inside your customer’s head and find out what they desire in swimwear fashion. At the same time, however, it doesn’t hurt to carry a variety of options to appeal to those customers who are not part of the majority of your demographic.

Once you have made the decision to carry swimwear, decide how much you are going to invest in one-pieces, two-pieces and so on. Plan a budget and stick to it, but don’t invest too much in one style ... you always can buy more of a best-seller, but it’s a lot harder to get rid of the suits no one wants. Other aspects of your budget that you should take into consideration include:

The actual suit is just the beginning when it comes to what people wear pool-and beach-side. Diversify your retail offerings to ensure that you are providing your clients with everything they need to complete their look, including swimwear accessories such as tank tops, T-shirts, sarongs and cover-ups.

It seems obvious, but it’s worth the reminder—let your clients know that you carry or plan to carry swimwear in the future if you expect your retail venture to be successful. Hang posters or other signage in the windows, and create an eye-catching display to showcase the swimwear. Consumers absorb information in three ways—visually (what they see), auditory (what they hear) and kinesthetically (what they feel. Because consumers make purchases based on whichever methods dominate their behavior, it is vital to design displays that appeal to all three.