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December is a remarkable time for fragrance. This month accounts for one-quarter of the high-end perfumes, colognes, body mists and other scented beauty products sold annually. United States of AmericaAccording to market research firm Circana.
Fragrance The firm said there was also popular buying across all variants and price points, with makeup and skincare sales outperforming in the first nine months of the year.
However, many buyers do not want to be sprayed while walking through a department store and do not want the salesperson’s help in choosing perfume for their loved ones or themselves. They can learn what they want by hearing about social media trends like “fragrance layering.” Some enthusiasts collect scents like handbags and rely on their nose.
Macy’s requires weekly training for its 10,000 beauty consultants. It includes new information and the latest trends from brands, such as matte makeup and the re-emergence of “juicy fruit” fragrances. Consultants also get sales tips and tricks.
“Shoppers come in knowing what they’ve seen on TikTok, but our beauty advisors really help them find what’s the most suitable scent for them,” said Nicolette Bosco, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of Amazon.com. Macy’s Beauty business.
To understand the changing retail environment for beauty products, I had a sales training experience at the flagship Macy’s a week before Black Friday. new york The city that served as the setting for the 1947 Christmas movie “A Miracle on 34th Street.”
Virginia Darville, Perfume Business Manager Christian DiorDior trains beauty consultants for the brand’s makeup and fragrance divisions. He spent about 30 minutes explaining Dior’s fragrance lineup and giving advice on how to approach buyers. On a busy Friday, I tried to test his teaching for half an hour by standing in front of the Dyer counter.
In that time, I’ve only enticed three people to try the scent and not sold a single one. I found it difficult and sometimes frustrating to attract the attention of walk-in buyers. When customers stopped by the counter, most wanted to explore alone.
Here are four things I learned:
engage with smile
Always smile at customers when they walk by and try to compliment what they’re wearing, Darville said. If they had moved forward, I knew enough not to follow them. Remember the old sales adage about the importance of direct eye contact. This is more important than ever as many customers will be wearing earbuds or headphones and will not hear the spoken invitation to sample products.
Let customers explore on their own
If customers stop at the counter, ask if they need help. If they say no, let them explore and don’t be pushy. If you let them sit a little longer, they often start asking questions, Darville said.
“Some customers want to have one-on-one interaction the entire time they’re here,” she told me. “And some clients like to take a moment to themselves and really discover themselves.”
Ask buyers what they’re looking for when they indicate they want help, Darville said. “Are they looking for it for themselves or is it a gift for someone?” “This is a standard approach,” he said. Understanding what brought someone to a store is a way to better guide them in making a selection.
Direct them towards the mid range of aroma intensity
Always direct customers toward the scent on the spectrum between subtle and strong first. The midpoint is generally the most popular. In Dior’s J’Adore line, the preferred version is “eau de Parfum,” Derville said. He advised that if a customer thinks it is too strong or too light, guide them accordingly.
I also learned that going up or down the spectrum doesn’t always mean a more diffused or intense version of the same scent. This may cause a different smell altogether.
For example, the “Parfum d’Eau” form of J’Adore smells like a lighter version of “Eau de Parfum”. But the lightest scent in the line, J’Adore Eau Lumière, had a citrus scent that was completely different.
three splashes on a test strip
Do not spray or dab at shoppers. Instead, sprinkle three times on a paper test strip and leave it on for a few seconds before the customer smells it, advised Derville. Otherwise, the initial shock may be too heavy, she said.
Start asking open-ended questions about what they like or dislike about the scent. If they want to try another product, fold the strip and place it next to the scent they just sampled to remember which one it was.
If they’re switching from smell to smell, ask them to smell the back of your arm or hand to clear their nose for the next smell, Dervill said.
If a customer likes a fragrance, discuss prices and bottle sizes and hope to close the sale.