Professional shampoo products are available anywhere from a salon or a local drugstore. If your beauty supply store is seeing a decline in shampoo purchases, it might be time to evaluate the products you are able to offer your customers. Are customers coming in to find shampoo for a certain hair type, or are they looking for shampoo information on a distinctive brand? And can you supply them with shampoo to fill those needs?

Having shampoo knowledge and being able to recommend shampoo to your customers is invaluable. It will benefit the reputation of your beauty supply store, but it will also add to your store's bottom line. Having the shampoo you recommend in stock will keep your customers from going elsewhere for their shampoo needs. Consult a shampoo directory to find distributors who offer the following:

1. Shampoos that are organic or contain natural ingredients

2. Products designed for colored, damaged, permed or ethnic hair

3. Larger size shampoo bottles

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a wholesale shampoo provider

Use the Internet to find a wholesale shampoo provider. Using a shampoo list can help you locate information on companies that sell wholesale shampoo. You might even discover some shampoo information on new brands from a wholesale shampoo provider.

I recommend: FolicaPro stocks and sells a variety of major shampoo brands, such as Nexus and Sebastian. Sally Beauty Supply is a well known supplier of shampoo for all hair types.

Offer a shampoo line for special needs and ethnic hair

Not all of your customers that enter your store will have the same type of hair. You have to make sure that you have shampoo stocked for those customers whose hair might need special care, such as people with damaged or thinning hair.

I recommend: Curls offers an extensive line of shampoo dedicated to ethnic hair. Their shampoos not only contain natural humectants, but also organic moisturizers for those customers who are looking for a more earth-friendly shampoo. Register with BioSilk Sunglitz to sell shampoo from the BioSilk line, which contains shampoo for special needs hair, such as hair that is thinning, curly or fine.

Provide shampoo that is well known to people

Brand name recognition is a sure fire way to drum up some business. If your beauty supply store offers shampoo that is well known to people and has a good reputation, it not only can increase your business, but make your store known as the place to come for quality.

I recommend: You can partner with Aveda to sell their lines of shampoo. Aveda has shampoo for every hair type. To keep your male customers happy, offer shampoo lines from American Crew, which is a line dedicated to men's hair, at The Men's Room Barber Shop.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Stock products that benefit your entire customer base. If many of your customers come to your store to purchase items for permed or color treated hair, make sure you have an ample stock of shampoo for their hair type.
• •  Be knowledgeable about the shampoo your store carries. If you can explain to a customer what brand or type of shampoo would benefit them and direct them to the specific shampoo's location, it may result in a repeat customer.