Salon Website Improvements

Hello February! I can't believe I am approaching the one year mark in the new location! Looks like I need to get working on an anniversary event.

Retail sales in January hit a fabulous 25% of my service base, up from 15% last January. There are still two lines straggling in (hopefully tomorrow) but so far I am pleased with sales. To keep myself on track with bringing in new lines, I created a form in Excel that is basically an idea filter.

• Department: Personal Care, Fashion Accessories, Decor & Novelty (under each I list existing lines, so when I write in the new one I can see how it fits)
• Price Point: I have a bar showing my full price range and put a big "X" where the new line fits, then think about whether I am creating a good spread within each department and as a whole
• Five characteristics to look at (line must meet at least four to make it): Consumable, Collectible/Giftable, Unique to my area, Made in the U.S.A., good value to price ratio
• Compatibility: look and feel, usage (good add-on), and whether it is something that clients would enjoy discovering
• Duplicate: checking to make sure that the line is not too similar to what I already carry

In preparation for creating an online store on my website, I took a hard look at my existing site. What I found is that, while it was a decent site, it lacked the sophistication both in looks and function to generate good online sales. So this weekend I started from scratch and created a whole new look. This website builder did require a bit more HTML coding on my part, but now my website is far more suitable to include an online store. I am working on a schedule to add photos, articles, FAQs, and possibly even a user forum, but the biggest job of all will be to set up the store. As a bonus I was able to pull my other blog into the website (which means I also need to start blogging there again).

If you have the time, check it out at www.PanacheNailStudio.com. I'd love any constructive feedback on the design or features that you think would be good to see on a nail salon website!

—Candice, Panache Nail Studio, Stanwood, Wash.