7 Tips for Successfully Managing Your Hair Salon Inventory

7 Tips for Successfully Managing Your Hair Salon Inventory

Running a salon can get busy and chaotic at times, understandably so. There are so many aspects of the business that you need to keep going at all times. From managing stylists’ schedules to ensuring that product inventory is stocked at all times, there is a lot on your to-do list from day to day. But, we are hoping to simplify some of these aspects with this article.

One of the most challenging parts of keeping a salon running smoothly is making sure that everything is stocked and ready to handle a busy day of clients. This means purchasing professional salon supplies, towels, coloring products, shampoo and conditioner and other products on time and routinely empowers your stylists to handle the busiest days flawlessly.

At SALONORY, we want to empower salon owners and stylists to do their best work and to handle all aspects of the salon business efficiently and effectively. That’s why we have created this article to share tips for successfully managing your hair salon’s inventory. By following these tips, not only will you be able to have a fully and properly stocked salon at all times, but you will also avoid those chaotic product shortage moments.

So, let’s talk about how to properly manage your salon inventory to optimize your business.

How to Successfully Manage Your Hair Salon Inventory

Salon inventory goes beyond just coloring products and shampoo. It also includes things like towels, supplies, retail products and shopping for professional hair care products. In this section, we will give you our expert advice for keeping salon inventory levels stocked and healthy at all times.

1. Optimize Storage

What does your salon’s current storage for inventory look like? We’re talking about everything from closet cabinets to color storage. In order to turn over a new leaf by keeping inventory stocked, you will need to optimize your salon’s storage. Make sure storage is always organized and clearly labeled. This will help you identify when products are running low and need to be restocked. Having everything stored and organized in a place where it belongs will also help you keep a more precise eye on your inventory. You will know where everything is at all times.

2. Are Your Current Inventory Processes Up to Speed?

The next step we recommend is analyzing whether your current inventory practices are up to your standards and producing great results for you. In order to improve this process, you should identify where your routine isn’t working. Are there any product categories that seem to always be understocked? Are there any specific pain points around inventory that your salon and people keep encountering? These are important questions to ask that will help you pinpoint the problem areas in your current inventory process.

3. Set Up a Regular Product Audit

After applying these tips, you may want to set up a routine audit of your inventory so that you can ensure you’re meeting your goals and streamlining your inventory management. This is also a great way to identify areas to improve.

4. Set Up Auto-Orders for High-Use Items

For products that your salon goes through routinely and quickly, it may be smart to set up an auto-ordering system for these high-use products. You can always adapt these systems as you go if they aren’t serving you.

When you shop at SALONORY, you are able to actually “favorite” products on the site in order to make re-ordering much quicker. Once you save a product, your “favorites” can be quickly accessed under “My Favorites” on the top navigation bar under “My Account”.

5. Incentivize Reducing Waste

Waste and spoilage of products account for huge inventory pain points. However, there are ways to keep these numbers low. You can always incentivize your employees to reduce waste, which will help your bottom line and keep products in stock.

6. Hire an Inventory Person or Deploy Software

If your inventory practices and processes need a dedicated team or software to help manage, it may be wise to hire someone to handle inventory or deploy software. This will take one thing off your plate and put dedicated employees or technology behind it to keep things running smoothly.

7. Create an Open Forum for Feedback

Another great way to make sure you are always ahead of any product shortages is to rely on employees for feedback and a heads-up. Create a place where your people can report potential product shortages or waste so that you know when to order new products.

How many of these inventory management tips can you apply to your business today? We are sure that your business will see a dramatic improvement for managing your inventory more closely.