Haircolor Research: Understanding Your Color Clients, Your Color Business

To help color professionals grasp and grow their haircolor potential, MODERN SALON Media conducted a comprehensive, exclusive PROCESS HAIRCOLOR RESEARCH STUDY, surveying both consumers and salon  professionals, in order to deliver the most complete information and current insights on professional haircolor available today.

The results are detailed in this special report and will also be  presented by the MODERN SALON Media team in the coming months at events, workshops and meetings throughout the industry.

MODERN SALON Media's Process Haircolor Research Includes:

• The clients you are missing—the ones who are not coming to salons for color. What are the top reasons keeping them away? What can you do to attract and convert them?
• The clients who do get color services at salons. When and why did they start coming?What do they value most? How do age and other factors influence their color behavior and their relationship with you?
• The state of today’s haircolor business in salons. What are the benchmarks in color pricing, profitability, products, purchasing, and more?
• Haircolor resources. What education and other haircolor support options can you tap into?
• Opportunities and next steps. What are some practical ideas and actions to help you leverage the findings of MODERN’s research?

 

UNDERSTANDING COLOR CONSUMERS:

For the CONSUMER portion of the PROCESS HAIRCOLOR RESEARCH, MODERN SALON focused on a haircolor target audience of women age 18 or older, all of whom currently color their hair.

The sample was chosen to reflect the general population in terms of age and ethnicity. Respondents were further separated into two categories: consumers who receive professional hair color services in a salon and those who color their hair at home (box color).

WHY DO WOMEN COLOR THEIR HAIR?
Before delving into the differences between the two types of color consumers, consider what they have in common—the root reasons they do it.

Not surprisingly, the number one reason all women surveyed—home color consumers and salon clients combined—say they color their hair is to cover gray/look younger (46%), followed by a desire to look and feel more attractive, and the “need to make a change.”

Among younger color consumers age 18-34, the desire for “change” jumps to 59%. For women 35 and older, gray coverage becomes even more important, at 65%.

Almost one-third of all women surveyed said they first colored their hair before age 18.

While not shocking, these findings do confirm opportunities for salons to customize and grow color business. (More on that ahead.)

MAKE MORE MONEY WITH COLOR
To earn more haircolor revenue from women who already color their hair, salons and colorists can do three things:

1. Introduce services and add-ons to increase the average ticket and/or frequency of visits among your current color clients.
2. Market to and attract color clients from other salons to yours.
3. Convert home “box” color consumers to salon color clients.

To accomplish the latter, you must understand why women color their hair at home in the first place.

WHO ARE YOU MISSING?
Why Consumers Don’t Get Their Color at the Salon
You know professional haircolor is a good investment (and less expensive than color correction), but the number-one reason cited by 77% of women who color their hair at home is “the cost is too high.” They also believe:

I can do color as well or better at home (28%)
Coloring my own hair gives me greater control (24%)
Doing it myself gives me great satisfaction (17%)
I don’t have the time to go to a salon (16%)
Can’t find a salon/colorist I like (14%)

They like it just fine. Overall, they are pretty happy with the results of their own color work, with 97% saying they are mostly or completely satisfied. This is likely driven by “lower expectations” for their hair, and not being familiar with the impact of salon haircolor services.

They aren’t prone to visit salons, period. Women who are content to color their hair at home do not frequent the salon often for any services, with 37% rarely or never visiting a salon, and another 24% coming in only every nine weeks or longer between visits.

When home color consumers do go to the salon, it is usually for a professional cut (79%) or style (41%) and less frequently for nails, waxing, conditioning treatments, texture or other services.

COLOR CORRECTION

Out of the Box, Into Your Chair
Even though home color consumers say they are happy with their box results, the highly profitable color correction business done in salons tells a different story, and is by far the greatest opportunity for colorists to convert those consumers to regular color clients.

According to MODERN’s survey of salon professionals who color hair:

• 44% report they “sometimes” have bookings to correct do-it-yourself color mistakes.
• Another 27% say they regularly benefit from corrective business

HOOK AND HOLD
A hurdle to converting home-color rescues to regular clients is that color corrections are expensive to execute, due to complexity and time required. With “cost” being the home color consumer’s biggest objection to coloring in-salon, a colorist should be proactive in acknowledging the “one-time” expense to fi x the damage, and outline follow-up:

• Confirm what she wants to accomplish with her color going forward and offer a  professional service plan.
• Be specific on what the next “regular” touch-up or service would cost and how much time in the salon it would take.
• Introduce retail color-care products to protect her investment and recommend “bridge” products like retail root touch-ups or color-toned dry shampoos to help her stretch appointments and resist the temptation to go back to the box.
• If price-resistance is still an issue, offer a junior colorist or assistant at a lower rate, assuring that you will oversee the formulation, etc.

 

WHY CLIENTS COME TO SALONS

As noted, the most important reasons the average woman chooses to color her hair are: gray coverage, to look and feel more attractive, needing a change, needing a touch-up, etc. All things that give a skilled color professional a decided edge against “the box.”

Ultimately, consumers who choose salon hair color over home hair color realize the salon does a much better job (69%). Other key reasons are “good relationship with my stylist” (44%) and “doing it at home is too much of a hassle” (37%).

So, once a consumer has decided she prefers to be a salon color client, how and why does she choose one salon over the other? Or one colorist? Why does she leave salons or switch colorists?

WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE A SALON

When asked to select the most important factors when choosing a salon for color services, the group of salon color clients said “it all starts with you”—the salon pro!

• Most important: My Stylist/Colorist (71%)
• Secondary drivers: Price (57%) and Quality of Service/Reputation (51%) Other important factors include salon cleanliness, quality of color products used, convenient location and salon atmosphere.
• Not as important to clients are referrals, brand of color offered, traffic, social media/online reviews, loyalty cards and incentives, ranging from 11% to 4%.

WHAT YOUNGER CLIENTS WANT

For clients age 18-34, “Price” leapfrogs over “My Stylist” and is identified as their most important factor in choosing a salon. The cost of color matters greatly to this group, but don’t think they don’t care or invest deeply in professional color. Findings support they perceive color as a critical accessory—one they change often—so they are mindful of managing limited budgets to enjoy the color they want.

• This value-conscious segment is also fashion-conscious. They are early adopters of color services, and crave more frequent and dramatic color change.
• They may wish to spend less per color service in the salon because they indulged in color earlier and continue to do so more often—out of desire to be “on trend” or in season versus the need for gray coverage.
• They may wish to spend less per color service in the salon because they indulged in color earlier and continue to do so more often—out of desire to be “on trend” or in season versus the need for gray coverage.
• This segment has embraced and helped drive new color techniques and product innovations like ombre and fashion colors.
• 85% of professional respondents say their salons offer “vibrant” colors today, with the average age of these clients just under 28 years old.

PROFESSIONALS’ PERCEPTION: WHY CLIENTS COME TO THEM
Salon professionals believe the quality and reputation, as well as referrals, are what drive clients to them and their salons for color services. When compared to what clients say they prioritize in choosing both a salon and colorist, both parties are on the same page when it comes to “quality of service/does a good job” and “price.” Colorists give too much credit to social/online reviews and referral programs, which only 5% of clients ranked as a driver.

CLIENT PREFERENCE: WHY STAY WITH A SPECIFIC COLORIST
According to color clients, the most important reason for patronizing a specific salon pro for color services is “they do a good job.” Relationship and history are also important, as is price. As with choosing a salon, 18-34 year olds are more likely to mention “value,” while those 35+ again prioritize their relationship and history with their colorist.

WHY CLIENTS LEAVE
When asked what would drive them to change their colorist or salon, clients on average reported “Poor Quality of Work” and “Price/Too Expensive” as by far the most compelling factors in both cases, with no other factors jumping out as significant.

However, when isolating responses from younger clients (age 18-34), they again put more emphasis on price/value and are more likely to mention their “business not being appreciated,” while those 35+ are more likely to give “my stylist moved to another salon” or another “relationship” change as the reason for shifting from one stylist/colorist to another. This further reinforces the takeaway that younger color clients are transactional. They seek out good value and may take advantage of deals or promos. They want to make every color dollar count, but not be taken for granted.

 

CLIENT BEHAVIORS: Where, When and What they want in Color Services.

WHERE DO CLIENTS GO TO GET SALON COLOR?

• Independent salon locations are the preferred destination for almost two-thirds of consumers who color professionally.
• One in five indicate they visit a “solo artist”—a self-employed chair or suite renter (although consumers aren’t always aware they are in a rental environment).
• Another 16% go to chain salons, but it is worth noting that many chains do not offer haircolor.

MOST POPULAR COLOR SERVICES

Highlighting is still a star in the professional haircolor story, emerging in MODERN’s research as clients’ most typically received salon color service, at 62% of respondents.

Single-process color (42%) and retouch services (31%) followed as second and third, respectively, on clients’ list, with single-process services about 10% more likely for clients age 35+.

Younger clients (age 18-34) are significantly more likely than those 35+ to experience ombre (15% vs. 2%), glossing (13% vs. 2%) and fashion shades (10% vs. 4%).

WHAT PROMPTS A COLOR APPOINTMENT

Needs-based bookings: Nearly 60% of color clients said they seek color when their hair needs a touch-up, 46% when their hair needs an update and 40% when their budget permits.

Timing and marketing: Their schedule drove the decision for 35% of respondents, while specials/discounts influenced 8% and “a new trend” influenced only 6%.

Seasonal bookings: More than half (56%) of consumers polled said the seasons impact the timing of coloring their hair, with summer playing the largest role. Colorists recognize the importance of change to clients, with 64% indicating that the start of a new season impacts their business.

Special occasions: Although the conventional wisdom is that a client’s upcoming special occasion triggers a visit to her colorist, only 30% of our surveyed salon clients regarded special events as influencing the timing of a color appointment.

HOW OFTEN DO CLIENTS GO TO SALONS FOR COLOR?

The regulars: almost half of salon color clients say they come to the salon every six weeks or more often for services.

Opportunity to improve: 52% report stretching salon color visits longer than six weeks.

Average interval between salon visits: 7.5 weeks.

Younger clients stretch more: 18-34 year-old clients are more likely than those 35+ to go nine weeks or longer between color services (37% vs. 25%); they don’t have the “gray coverage” need to draw them back sooner, and are managing their budget. Bright spot: when they do come in, they usually spend more.

HOW MUCH DO CLIENTS PAY FOR COLOR?

The average price salon clients say they pay for any color service (on their typical visit) is $78; 20% pay less than $50, and 4% pay $140 or higher.

Younger clients spend MORE per visit: They come to the salon less frequently, but those age 18-34 say they spend $81 on average each time, or $5 more than those age 35+. Note: This makes sense, given this segment’s stronger demand for highlighting and trend-driven services. Salons can be optimistic that as these clients age and both their income and need for gray coverage increase, they will continue to spend at a higher level while also increasing frequency of visits.

The average price colorists say they charge for a single-process service: $67; 16% charge less than$50, and 3% charge $100 or higher. Note: Average client ticket covering all color services would be higher.

DO COLOR CLIENTS BUY RETAIL PRODUCTS?

Yes, clients buy products! But where?

• A good base: 64% of surveyed salon color clients reported buying at-home color-care products at least sometimes.
• Room to grow the market: This means one in every three clients who buys color isn’t currently protecting her investment with color care, from any source. Salons have the best chance to convert this segment, because there’s no better time to drive a color-care sale than at the time of service.
• Get your fair share: According to clients, beauty-focused retailers like Sephora (43%) edged out “my hair salon” (42%) as the primary source for take-home color-care purchases. This means that, among color clients who do buy products, only 27% are purchasing from their salons. Almost three of every four color clients are spending outside the salon.
• Salon pros think the numbers are a little better. On average, our surveyed colorists estimated that 38% of their clients purchase retail products specific to color care from the salon. Still, plenty of opportunity to grow the overall client ticket through color-related retail.

COLOR RESULTS: HEALTHY HAIR MATTERS

When asked to rank what mattered most in color results, the “overall health of my hair” (30%) was the most important factor for clients, followed by “beautiful color” (23%) and “long-lasting color” (23%).

Age matters, too. Consistent with other responses related to value, clients age 18-34 are more concerned with “long lasting” color results and those age 35+ value “natural color” results more.

Professional perception gap. Colorists were off-target when asked what their clients valued most, with most respondents gauging that “maintaining color” was most important to their color clients, followed by health of the hair, performance and trends.

Opportunity. Discuss and promote color services, special brand offerings and color care retail that you prescribe to help “protect the integrity of the hair” and keep hair “healthy looking.”

THE CLIENT/COLORIST RELATIONSHIP: LOYALTY, INFLUENCE, TRUST AND COMMUNICATION

Client Loyalty:

• Color clients are loyal. When asked the direct question of whether they were loyal to one salon professional, 91% of salon clients responded, “Yes.”
• How long is “loyal?” Our respondents had been with their colorist an average of nearly seven years.
• They’ll go where you go: 83% said they would be likely or very likely to follow their stylist to a new location.
• They purchase additional services at the salon. The top five services clients receive at their color salon include cutting (70%), styling (46%), treatments/conditioning (27%), waxing (25%) and nail care (21%).
• They have the same person always cut and color their hair (73%). This skews higher for clients 35+ (79%) versus 61% for those age 18-34.

THE COLOR CONSULTATION (AND OTHER CONVERSATIONS YOU SHOULD BE HAVING)

MODERN’s research indicates that colorists understand the value of a full color consultation.

• Nine of 10 colorists we polled reported discussing haircolor options with the client “always” or “most of the time.”
• Our client poll backs up the stylists’ claim: 94% of surveyed salon clients reported that their colorist asks sufficient questions about the kind of color they want. But the consultation is not the only time for discussion.

Colorists have an opportunity to retain clients, upsell services and recommend retail if they continue the conversation throughout the service and at the completion. We asked salon clients: Which of the following, if any, would you like your stylist to ask you?

They said:

• Am I happy with my haircolor?” (52%)
• “Do I want to learn about new products and service options?” (27%)
• “Do I want to change my haircolor?” (23%)
• “Do I want to buy professional products to take home?” (16%)

WHO INFLUENCES COLOR?

By the consultation’s conclusion, stylists and clients each believe they’ve had the final say about the color decision, according to our research.

What colorists say: 75% of colorists named themselves and 56% named clients among the top three people or factors that influence the client’s color decision.

What clients say: Consumer research reversed the order, with 82% naming themselves and 61% naming their colorist.

Why the difference? This could be a communication gap, or perhaps it reflects colorists’ brilliance in being able to steer their clients toward a direction while making them feel that they’re in charge of the decision.

Are celebrities important? In estimating what else influences the look clients seek, colorists ranked “celebrity styles, other clients in the salon and advertising” all higher than those rankings in the consumer poll, which gave more credit to parents and family.

In fact, when asked why they color their hair at all, only 5% of consumers indicated they were inspired by a celebrity look.

Why the difference? Our professional respondents may have naturally drawn the conclusion that celebrities have a lot of influence because clients are always bringing in photos of celebs’ hair looks, often saved to their pinboard. For clients, this practice may be less about “influence” and more about using the images as a reference and communication tool. Colorists encourage this practice, because trying to “describe” a desired tone of blonde or define what a “cool red” looks like is not practical. Swatch books and look books help, but celeb pics are easy to relate to and readily available for the client to self-select (even though the transformations they choose are not always doable).

CELEBRITY COLOR: A WISH LIST
Clients may not want to “be” Jennifer Aniston or admit that their decision to color their hair is influenced by her and other celebs, but her dimensional honey tones far outranked (23%) any other famous locks when color clients were asked who they wish their haircolor could look more like.

COLOR BRANDS: CLIENTS TRUST YOUR JUDGMENT

• Salon clients tend to neither know nor care what specific color brand is used on their hair, with nine out of 10 placing “quite a bit” or a “great deal” of trust in their colorists to make the decision.
• Two-thirds of clients polled do not know what color brand is used on their hair and the same amount say they are “not offered a choice” of color brands.
• Younger clients (age 18-34) are more likely than those 35+ to receive suggestions on new color brands, products and services from their colorists “all the time” or “most of the time” (36% vs. 19%). This mirrors the client segment’s noted interest in emerging techniques like fashion colors, etc.

 

ALL ABOUT COLORISTS: Demographics, Pricing, Satisfaction and More

The colorists who participated in MODERN SALON Media’s PROCESS Haircolor Research reflect the professional salon industry in being:

• Mostly female (86%)
• Experienced (average age of 46, with 24 years licensed)
• Active (average hours per week serving clients: 33)
• Split between working in commission-based salons (55%) and rental situations (45%)
• Do-it-all salon pros:  96% who do color also cut hair (this reinforced by 70% of consumers reporting they visit the same location and stylists for both color and cut)

How important is color to their business?Salon professionals answering the survey say:

• They serve an average of 15 color clients per week, personally.
• 60% of all their clients receive color services.
• Most have a color bar (70%), indicating haircolor continues to become a much more visible, prioritized part of the experience.
• Timing: In the salon, time is money. The average time booked among all colorists for a single-process color appointment is just under an hour (56 minutes). But renters are significantly more likely to schedule up to 90 minutes for the same service. This productivity downside can be attributed to not having assistants and not being able to accommodate an “overlap” in clients because of space restraints. But it can also be perceived as “dedicating more personal attention.”
• Tipping: Almost all salon professionals (93%) receive a gratuity for color services, averaging 16%. More than half (51%) say tips on color services are the same as ones received for cutting or styling hair, but 44% claim color gratuities tend to be higher.

HAPPY WITH HAIRCOLOR According to MODERN SALON Media’s exclusive surveys:

• 98% of salon color clients are “happy” or “very happy” with their haircolor.
• 98% of stylists are mostly or completely comfortable providing color services. The colorists’ survey further showed a close link between services that drive profits and services that are enjoyable to do.
• Highlighting was identified not only as clients’ most frequently received salon color service but also as colorists’ most profitable—and most enjoyable—color service.
• Single process color and retouch followed as second and third, respectively, on clients’ most-frequent list, while those two services were nearly tied for second in profitability for colorists. Colorists placed balayage as the runner-up in enjoyment.
• Right brights: While nearly a third of stylists found a fashion-color service enjoyable, another 23% identified it as a service they’d prefer not to offer, indicating that some colorists are perhaps intimidated by the fairly recent trend and concerned about executing it properly. Given the demand for the service and concentrated interest among younger clients (who can convert to long-time, loyal clients, especially when they age into needing gray coverage), colorists are wise to learn to “like” the service or find a color partner within the salon to help execute.

COLOR & RENTAL

• While self-employed salon chair or suite renters have an experience with haircolor similar to that of employed stylists on commission (or salary), our research reveals some distinctions that set the two business models apart.
• Since renters are on their own for product-purchasing decisions, they’re more sensitive to color brands’ pricing and minimum purchase policies.
• Renters are more likely to book longer appointments for single process color, with 42% booking more than 61-90 minutes compared with 30% of commission stylists who schedule that much time.
• Renters want education available online, while in-person education is more in demand among commission stylists.
• While both segments of colorist respondents cite classes, how-tos/formulas and online education among the color resources they’d like to see increased, renters significantly outpace commission stylists in desiring product samples, business education and scientific education.
• Renters express more concern than commission stylists about potentially harmful products in color products.
• Renters are less likely to see color correction clients than commission stylists.
• By their own self-assessment, more commission colorists than renters draw clients because of a convenient location, but more renters believe they draw clients because of price and quality color products.

 

COLOR PRODUCTS: Preferences, Purchasing, Usage

Performance Matters Most
The most important factor when a salon professional chooses a color brand is performance (76%). Consistency, a quality brand name (reputation) and educational support are also key drivers. How Many Brands Do Colorists Use?
Colorists typically take advantage of all of the color brands carried by the salon.

44% of colorists work regularly with two color brands

26% use only one

22% work with three brands at any given time

Colorfluency: A quarter of survey respondents report having used eight or more color brands over the course of their career.

COLOR PARTNERS
What You Need From Them
When asked what they expect from color suppliers, most salon professionals mentioned education, followed closely by fair pricing. Most also assume quick shipments and customer support as key to their relationship with manufacturers and distributors.

Colorists at commission-based salons are more likely than renters to expect education in-person (72% vs. 59%). The tables turn, however, with online education, which is expected by 64% of renters vs. 50% of commission stylists/colorists.

Why You Change Color Brands
“It doesn’t work” or “I can’t count on it” are likely reasons a customer would drop any product, and haircolor is no exception.

Salon professionals cited “the color failed to perform” or was inconsistent as the most compelling reason by far (80%) to change color brands, followed by “the color became too expensive.” Lack of availability, lack of education and lack of support—along with the product being too difficult to use—were also noted by more than one-third of respondents. Interest in “new color technology” would tempt 45% to switch.

Where to Buy Color
When asked from which sources they buy color, most salon owners and renters who purchase haircolor say they do so from a professional distributor store (68%) or directly from a sales consultant (51%). Another 14% report purchasing directly from a manufacturer; 8% from an OTC (over-the-counter) store.

THE BONDING PHENOMENON
An add-on, preparatory service many colorists have been introducing to clients in increasing numbers over the past year is “bonding,” a rapidly growing category of color additives designed to protect the integrity of the hair. The category has been called a “game changer” by colorists throughout the world and was pioneered by Olaplex. Awareness, for a new product, is exceptionally strong. As typically happens with any successful introduction, other brands are entering the space.

64% of our surveyed colorists said they used treatments formulated to crosslink broken bonds and eliminate breakage due to chemical services, with nearly a third of those using the treatment with a majority of color services.
86% of the colorists who offer bonding as an option did so with a fee, with a higher percentage of commission stylists charging (94%) than renters (74%). There’s also a retail component.
Of the respondents who were not using this type of treatment, half indicated they were not familiar with these types of products. MODERN asked colorists who were using treatments that crosslink broken bonds and eliminate breakage whether their clients were more satisfied, if they were able to charge more, if they could perform more extreme services, etc., and feedback was very positive.

TOUCH-UP TACTICS
Root of a Communication Problem
Most salon professionals (64%) say they recommend a “root cover-up” between color appointments, as either a service or retail item, but 74% of color clients say they have either never received or used one, or are unsure.

The retail option in particular may be effective in helping some clients bridge the time required to be comfortable (affording) to come back to you, versus finding a less expensive salon or succumbing to box color. Either way, be clear in what you offer and how it is priced.

 

COLOR EDUCATION & RESOURCES: What You Use, What You Want, Where to Find it.

As noted, two-thirds of salon professionals who perform haircolor services expect their color partners—manufacturers and distributors—to provide education support “in-person,” and 56% expect to get color education online, too.

Where else do colorists turn (and whom do they trust) for color education? In what specific areas do colorists need support? With what other resources can colorists connect?

WHERE COLORISTS NEED HELP

Color correction is by far the aspect of color education our polled stylists said presents the greatest struggle, noted by more than one-third (35%). They also identified “undertones/stages of lightening” (16%), application techniques (15%) gray coverage (15%) and formulation (14%) to round out their top five areas of concern. 

• Who you trust: “My color company” is the single most trusted resource for color education among surveyed salon professionals (35%), followed by private advanced-color programs (21%), trade shows/continuing education (17%) and online/websites (10%).
• Accessing education is a challenge. In fact, 28% say their salon neither provides nor arranges for color education. Of salons that do provide this training, most hold it every few months or a little less often, with 58%offering color education at least a few times a year.
• Investing in yourself. In reporting their personal out-of-pocket expenses on color education, 55%of responding colorists estimated that they spend less than $250 annually. This fi gure held true whether the respondent was a renter or worked on commission for a salon.

SWATCH BOOKS: AN IMPORTANT TOOL
To pinpoint a client’s color taste, many surveyed colorists indicated that they rely on swatch books, with 43% saying they reference swatch books multiple times each day and 75% saying that they reference them at least once a week. Younger colorists—those under age 35—were more likely than their more experienced peers to grab swatches.

WHAT MORE COULD COLORISTS WANT?
When asked what types of additional color resources—above and beyond what they are currently receiving or investing in—would be most valuable, the overwhelming request was for more classes (66%) and more how-tos/formulas (61%). Also notable:

• Business need: 34% request business education to drive color.
• Sampling: About one-third ask for both sampling programs and more samples in general, creating opportunities to get their hands into new color brands or shades, and to share (especially color care/retail) with clients.
• Color coaching: 29% are asking to be mentored.

COLOR RECAP: Key Takeaways and Opportunities

Today’s professional “color story” is a detailed one, primed for further discussion, and rich with opportunity. On behalf of all the special PROCESS 2015 program sponsors (you can meet them
all in “Partners in Color” on page 82), we congratulate you for seeking deeper insights into your color business. Next steps are to identify the key questions and opportunities that apply to your salon and situation, and craft a strategy of actions on how and where to grow next. Here are a few final thoughts and recaps aimed to help you do so:

• Generational differences: Review the distinctions between those clients 18-34 and those 35+. Generally, younger clients are more value-conscious, but they are avid color users—early adopters who are willing to pay more to get exactly what they want when they do come in (fashion colors, special effects, detailed highlights). Gray coverage is not yet an issue, but when they “grow into it,” they are poised to become your most lucrative customers—coming in more often but conditioned to color that’s more interesting than single process.
• Retail realities: Two-thirds of consumers who get color in the salon are buying color-related retail products, but not necessarily from their salons. This is an opportunity for you—review the numbers, along with your strategies for color-related product recommendations and marketing.
• Home-color corrections: Those who care enough to venture into the salon to have you fix their damage are the ones who present the best chance of conversion to a regular client. Handle with care—and a strategy to manage and meet expectations on price (their number-one concern) and time. Be sure you and your team’s skills and confidence are solid—survey shows corrections are colorists’ greatest area of concern and training need.
• Bonding barrage: If you and your team are not completely up to date on this service and retail add-on to protect the integrity of the hair through even the most aggressive of color services, you are leaving money on the table.
• (Remember, color clients say they value “healthy looking hair” even more than gray coverage.) Ask your distributor. Search for education online. Search modernsalon.com and MODERN’s Instagram and Facebook pages, too, where the trend first “blew up.”
• Do a price check: Have you raised prices within the past year, as research shows is the industry trend?
• Paint a complete picture: Strive to ensure you and your team are well-versed and capable of offering all color services,
• even those outside any comfort zones. To maximize your earning potential and service/retain all your clients, you must be able
• to deliver the full range of color possibilities—from vibrant shades to babylights, balayage, bonding and beyond. Stay open and explore all the ways to increase your color “spectrum” and expertise!

Last but not least, please stay in touch. Visit modernsalon.com and modernsalon.com/PROCESS for the latest professional haircolor information, tips and resources, and special updates from our PROCESS sponsors.

THANK YOU PROCESS PROGRAM SPONSORS: Aloxxi, Aveda, Color Wow, Farouk, GKhair,  Goldwell, Joico, Kenra, Keratin Complex, Keune, Malibu C, Matrix, Olaplex, Redken, Rusk, Schwarzkopf, SureTint, TIGI and Wella