Right now clients are thinking apples, pumpkins, and ghosts, but your spa should be thinking months in advance to the next round of holidays. While joyous, it’s also a high-stress time, making the pampering skincare treatments your businesses provide especially important. However, the seasonal onslaught of gift shopping and festive gatherings finds clients limited in both time and budget. So, how do skincare professionals and salon owners ensure a holiday bottom line that is merry and bright? According to Ellen Clark, founder and president of Control Corrective Skincare Systems, holiday sales should be viewed not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. “You can find tremendous success during the holiday period by simply making a few small adjustments to ongoing offerings,” she says. “It’s all about understanding the needs of your clients and providing services and products that they’ll be excited about.” Here are Clarks tips for wrapping up the holidays and the year with impressive profits:
- Feature express treatments. Be conscious of clients’ time and budget limitations by offering skincare treatments that are shorter and cheaper, yet just as results-driven as their full-length counterparts. Express treatments shave off time by simply skipping the “spa fluff,” like scalp massage, cold stones, and aromatherapy, which benefit the spa experience more than the skincare result. Educate clients about the importance of a monthly facial, especially during cool winter conditions, and offer attainable, lunch-break-feasible options that can each be completed in just 10 to 30 minutes.
- Bring seasonal offerings to the spa menu. Arguably the best part of the holidays is the sensory experience—the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the tastes. Build excitement among your clientele by bringing spice to your usual skincare menu with special offerings that celebrate the season, such as a facial with hints of cinnamon. Tailor treatments to address the seasonal climate, such as winter’s dehydrating conditions, and add simple, special touches that excite the senses.
- Make retail gift-worthy. Take holiday sales full-circle by creating festive and eye-catching product displays that support homecare purchases. Make sure to educate clients on the importance of skincare homework post-treatment, and be able to easily point them in the right retail direction for products that will benefit their skin profile.
For more inspiration for holiday promotions, check out professional recommendations from our October issue.