With a career that includes roles at L’Oréal (18 years leading sales and business development) and Aveda (six years as director of new business and distribution), Kristen Hanson brings a rare, behind-the-scenes view of growth drivers for the salon industry. She distills that wisdom into key insights for both salon owners and professional salon brands. Here are some nuggets from a conversation with Kristen.
Understanding the modern salon guest
In today’s world, customers have heightened expectations influenced by the rise of online shopping, a phenomenon often called the “Amazon effect.” To succeed in the contemporary salon landscape, it’s crucial to offer convenience, competitive pricing, a wide selection of products, and a seamless customer experience.
While some salons have retreated from carrying retail, believing they cannot compete with Amazon and other specialty retailers, many are achieving record retail sales.
Not surprisingly, salons thriving in this environment have embraced modern selling strategies. They focus on providing guests with a variety of options while understanding they are not in direct competition with these other platforms. Their primary goal is to deliver beautiful services and exceptional guest experiences.
Salons are in the service industry and retail is just one component of the service they provide. Ultimately, ensuring an outstanding guest experience – from booking to checkout – is essential for fostering customer loyalty and encouraging repeat visits.
Beyond the mirror: Crafting unforgettable salon experiences
In this age of e-com fueled instant gratification, what do local salons offer that online retailers don’t?
Picture this. A stylist uses a volumizing spray on a guest with fine hair, mentioning its instant detangling power. In the mirror, the guest watches her lifeless tresses transform into bouncy locks. She’s already imagining using the spray herself. The stylist explains that instant detangling prevents breakage, a key concern for fine hair where every strand counts. The benefit clicks, and the guest is sold – she takes the product home.
That scenario shows there’s really no substitute for human touch and conversation. It’s what local salons offer that online retailers don’t. As a licensed cosmetologist who worked her way through college doing hair, Kristen understands how tailored suggestions shape the guest experience.
Shelf help: Personal advice beats online shopping
“I’ve never felt like I was selling because I always wanted to just say ‘here’s what you need to recreate this look at home.’ Amazon can’t do that. Sephora and Ulta can’t do that. Any other online retailer can’t do what a service provider can do with the actual personal recommendation and showing guests how to use the product.”
– Kristen Hanson, VP of Business Development, Zenoti
Salons offer some obvious advantages over online retailers. Still, the challenge is to consistently deliver the five-star experience that keeps guests coming back. For Aveda salons, this might mean focusing on their signature rituals, like offering comforting tea or a neck and shoulder massage.
Related reading: Van Michael Salon delivers five-star experiences through service excellence and client education. How do they do it?
What keeps salons a cut above
Kristen’s experience with manufacturers like L’Oréal and Aveda gives her a 360-degree view of the industry. She understands that for professional salon brands like Aveda, the ultimate goal is to help their partner salons grow. While manufacturers might provide exceptional products, their ability to directly impact a salon’s daily operations is limited. Here, technology becomes a key tool. Zenoti bridges the gap, offering the solutions salons need to enhance their business.
Collaboration between Zenoti and Aveda has already produced:
- A streamlined retail process for salons with effortless purchase order uploads
- The ability for customers to book directly using the Aveda.com salon locator
- Seamless integration with the Aveda Plus Rewards loyalty program
- Performance benchmark reports at the center and service-provider levels
Loyalty made easy for salons and their clients
“What we know is that consumers who utilize the Aveda Plus Rewards program actually shop and spend more in the Aveda ecosystem. The loyalty program is now easy for salons to implement because it’s integrated within Zenoti. They don’t have to toggle back and forth between different terminals or systems.”
– Kristen Hanson, VP of Business Development, Zenoti
How data fuels salon growth
Powering more than 30,000 beauty and wellness businesses across the globe, the Zenoti platform is uniquely equipped to help professional brands and salons drive more guests, more visits, and more revenue. How is this possible?
Beyond operational efficiency, the right software provides actionable data. By understanding guest buying patterns – what’s selling, what isn’t, and which services are most popular – salons can make smarter business decisions. This data is also a gold mine for manufacturers, stressed Kristen. Instead of only seeing which products they’ve shipped to a salon, they can track what’s actually selling through to the guest. Manufacturers can now access up-to-date information on how customers shop and provide tools to market to guests who leave without purchasing retail products.
Such symbiotic relationships are the future. As an example, when a manufacturer has data on buyer behavior, it helps them refine their tactics to drive more salon visits. Taking this approach creates a powerful cycle. Busy salons mean happier service providers, more retail sales, and better business health.
When entities like Aveda and Zenoti combine their extensive industry expertise and advanced technology, they enable salons to achieve new levels of success and growth.
Parting wisdom
Kristen’s experience, both behind the chair and leading in boardrooms, gives her a rare perspective. Her vision helps salons lean into the value of human connection, with technology turning the levers for flawless guest journeys and strong revenue growth.
Featured image: Kristen Hanson with Innergize panelists Bertrand Fontaine (President, SalonCentric), Virginia Meyer (Co-owner, Fourteenjay Aveda Salon; Dean, Aveda Business College), and Shelley Barnes (VP of International Sales, Ultraceuticals), September 2025
Related reading: Driving retail sales in salons and spas: Your guide to success
