We’re confident you and your spa staff are singing the praises of SPF and encouraging clients to care for their skin in the sun year round, and especially during the summer months. If your clients are anything like me, many still crave a bronzed look minus any sun damage or risk of skin cancer. That’s where sunless-tanning products come in. If you’re unsure of the best ways to market your sunless-tanning services and products, check out these pro tips for boosting your spa’s sunless-tanning business.
- “Word of mouth remains one of the best advertising opportunities. Be sure to give each member of your spa team a free spray tan. This will provide them firsthand experience and the opportunity to cross-sell when they interact with guests. The genuine reaction from your team will make them feel more like they are sharing than selling.”—Brandon Cardinal, vice president of sales and marketing, Norvell Skin Solutions
- “Three purchases at $25 are worth much more to a spa and salon than one trip at $45. Market research on spray tanners reveals three key insights: People are hesitant to try spray tanning because of the urban legend of looking orange; those who spray tan are overwhelmingly happy with the quality of their tans; the reason they do not spray tan more often is because of the price, which is often more than $40. On average, a spa pays less than $3 for a spray tan. The number-one way to boost spray-tan revenue and profit is to increase the frequency that customers spray tan, and the easiest way to boost frequency is to lower the price to $25 as the total cost to the consumer.”—Mike Concannon, vice president of marketing, Sunless Inc., maker of Mystic Tan and VersaSpa
- “Be super skilled and don’t compete on price. Compete on result. Use luxury solutions that treat the skin and fade with no patches, and your clients will keep coming back. And if you use a solution that dries on contact, you can service three or four clients per hour, immediately increasing profitability.”—Alyson Hogg, founder and CEO, Vita Liberata
- “The most important thing you can do is communicate your overwhelming excitement to your employees and get them to drink the Kool-Aid. It is essential to educate and inform all staff so that they can pass the knowledge on to those you hope will experience the service. Encourage your employees to wear the tan. It will prompt your customers to ask about it. Also, offer customers complimentary face sprays. When they see how natural and dewy their skin looks after a radiant spritz, they will be in a hurry to get the rest of the body done on the spot. If not, it’s an almost surefire way to book a spray appointment.”—Veronique Munro, founder and CEO, Infinity Sun
- “Spas can boost their sunless-tanning profits by creating more features for their customers, such as upselling a sunless tan or bundling packages for special occasions. Always encourage customers to take home goodies like self-tanning mousses and lotions for touchups until they come back.”—Tiffany Ngo, founder and creator, TanEm ProBronze
Read up on all the innovative sunless-tanning formulas available and updates on suncare to be ready for summer clients.