For Woodhouse Spas, the 90-plus-unit luxury day spa franchise, retail plays a key role in the overarching revenue and guest retention strategies. While in-spa services draw guests in, the ability to “take Woodhouse home” and extend the benefits of any treatments received during the spa day is also an attractive proposition for clients, and these desires drive retail sales, specifically skincare.

“Skin care accounts for about 65% of our total retail sales throughout the system,” said Mindy Gray, senior director of retail innovation and vendor strategy at Woodhouse. “It’s key in retail overall, and that’s truly because it’s directly attached to the service. It’s very easy for service providers to complete the service then say, ‘This is what you need.’ Skin care is a great thing to focus retail on because that’s what the guests are looking for, and that’s one of the places where they’ll really see results.”

Encouraging guests to take home a product that will extend the benefits of the facial service is “an instant trust-builder and retention-lever,” Gray said. Woodhouse and its service providers are already regarded as authorities in the space, and providing trusted, research-backed skin care products allows teams to further solidify this place in the industry.

Service providers are trained to focus on education rather than selling. After getting to know their client’s needs and concerns, they can tailor the service and products used accordingly. Educating the client about the products they’re using throughout the service lays a foundation of trust and centers information rather than a sales pitch.

“During the service, the provider can say, ‘This is what I’m using on you, and this is why I’m using it,’” Gray said. “So, if a client says, ‘I have dull skin’ or ‘I just feel like I’m aging,’ the provider can say, ‘I’m using this product which is going to help with your fine lines and wrinkles, and I’m using this which will help with brightening.’ Then, after the service, the provider can point that product out in the retail space: ‘This is what I was talking about and what I used during the service. Try it for a few weeks, and when you come back, let me know how you liked it!’”

Taking this approach focuses on what really matters to the client, and it makes for a more effective strategy.

“The client doesn’t care about the ingredients or the branding; they want to know what it’s going to do for them,” Gray said. “How will it make them feel better? And how can they keep that feeling when they leave the spa?”

In a landscape where there are talks about skin care products almost everywhere, from marketing to influencers posting about the next “must-have” product on social media, consumers crave expertise and reliable guidance. Woodhouse is able to cut through the noise and offer expertise that people actually trust. That relationship is furthered when the experience and trust reaches from the service room to the retail space and into a guest’s day-to-day life.

As such, for Woodhouse franchisees, the skin care side of the business is about more than keeping shelves stocked and maintaining appearances.

“Retail is an investment in the business, not an expense,” Gray said. “Some franchisees are concerned about buying retail because they see it as just another expense. They’re worried it will just sit on the shelf. But it won’t. And it’s an investment because it drives revenue, and it drives client loyalty, retention and brand awareness. Clients are going to buy skin care products regardless; we want them to buy from us.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/woodhouse-spas.