Three things we learned from Apple’s tech ethos that beauty industry professionals can (and should) incorporate into their own businesses.

Beauty industry professionals can always be learning from each other. There are countless brands and individuals forging new pathways and creating new trends. But to inspire monumental change in our industry, it can help to study leaders in other fields. That’s why this series is dedicated to lessons from the best in tech, surfacing the raucous tech world’s big ideas and business themes that beauty pros can put to good use — everywhere from hair salons to medspas.

We’re kicking things off with Apple, one of the biggest and most visible players in the tech world today. Here are three lessons the Apple approach can teach anyone seeking to become a leader in their corner of the beauty industry.

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Play with color

Color has always been a part of Apple’s product philosophy. The iMacs of the 90s came in a rainbow of bright colors, a tradition the company carried through to the iPods, iPhones, and various computers that came later. Today, Apple doesn’t need to release a whole new product to generate real excitement among its customers; issuing the same phone in a new colorway is enough to send people running to the nearest Apple Store.

At this year’s Apple Event, the company announced two additions to the Apple family: iPhone 13 in green and iPhone 13 Pro in alpine green. The phones themselves were released last year — the announcement was just about the new colorways. iPhone 13 phones now come in red, starlight, midnight blue, pink, and green, and iPhone 13 Pro phones come in sierra blue, graphite, gold, silver, and alpine green. Making these minor announcements — same phone, new color — center stage at the Apple Event shows just how good Apple is at leveraging color psychology.

Color psychology is the idea that colors can evoke an emotional response. For example, red is associated with passion and urgency, orange with playfulness, yellow with happiness, and green with growth. If you run your own beauty brand, chances are you’re more familiar with the concept than you might think. Did you choose paints, fabrics, and accessories that worked together to evoke a specific vibe in your salon interior? How about your branding; did you select colors for your logo, signage, or even your website that would communicate what your brand is all about to clients at first glance? That’s color psychology at work.

Apple understands that a splashy announcement of an attractive new colorway is enough to send consumers into a tizzy, even if they just bought the same phone in a different color six months ago (guilty as charged). What does this mean for beauty businesses? Play with color! Everything from your retail selection to your own brand merch can benefit from a punched-up color scheme. Think about seasonal releases that reflect the time of year in your area, or tap into the zeitgeist by working with the colors that dominate the fashion and beauty worlds in any given month. 

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to inspire clients to shop; sometimes, you just need a fresh coat of paint.

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Master the upsell

In the same vein, Apple also understands the art of the upsell. Instead of a new paint job, Apple sometimes adds new features to its existing products to make them more appealing to consumers who might not otherwise think of buying a whole new device. Already have an Apple Watch? No problem. We at Apple are thrilled you love the Apple Watch you bought two years ago. But this new model has a bigger screen, smaller borders, and a brighter display. It’s more durable and resistant to cracks, dust, and water, and it charges faster too. It measures your blood oxygen content, your heart rate, and your sleep patterns.

Presented with that list of feature updates, a brand new Apple Watch starts to sound like a no-brainer, regardless of when you bought the one you’re wearing now. The idea here isn’t to bring brand new customers into the fold, it’s to inspire your existing customers to get more of the value they count on you for, even if it means spending more.

For beauty and wellness businesses, that might mean explaining to customers who come in for the basics what’s available to them if they level up to the next tier of services. Say you have a client that hasn’t been in your salon chair for a couple of years. Now they’re asking for a cut and color, which would be one thing if you saw them six months ago and their hair was healthy and ready. They can certainly get their money’s worth out of a cut and color, but what about a deep conditioning treatment to heal some of those damaged strands? Instead of a single process all-over color treatment, highlights and lowlights are 1) so on-trend right now and 2) a perfect fit for their upcoming beach vacation in the south of France.

Yes, your client ends up spending more money through the art of the upsell. But more importantly, you are able to present them with incredible value that they might not have considered on their own. Beauty professionals often need to educate consumers not only about what options are out there, but also about which kinds of services, treatments, and products are right for their specific needs. Use the upsell to delight customers and increase revenue simultaneously, and everyone leaves happy.

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Go out with a bang

Steve Jobs’ fingerprints are all over the Apple brand, and they’re sure to remain there even as the company continues to grow in his absence. Before he passed, one of Jobs’ most iconic contributions to Apple Events was the clincher he made famous: “One more thing.” After an hour of software updates, product releases, and design announcements, when the event seemed to be over, Jobs would turn back to the audience and drop a final unexpected piece of news. “One more thing” is how Apple announced heavy hitters like iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano, Apple TV, FaceTime, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. 

Beauty pros can learn a simple lesson from the “one more thing” format: end on a high note. Saving a big bang for the end sends consumers home with a sense of excitement and satisfaction, and best of all, with something to talk about. In the beauty industry, going out with a bang might mean paying extra special attention to the check-out experience in your salon, or surprising clients with treats, swag, or merch to appreciate them for their loyalty to your business. 

When visiting a beauty business, there’s usually more to do after the service itself is over. Whether that’s processing payment, picking out products, or scheduling a follow-up appointment, post-service interactions present a great opportunity to drop “one more thing.” Surprise and delight your clients on their way out the door, and they’ll be sure to come back for more — and tell their friends, too.