The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the busiest spending season of the year. Retailers start advertising Black Friday sales at the start of November and some stores start stocking Christmas decorations before Halloween has even passed. While online shopping is becoming more ubiquitous, many people prefer to gift experiences rather than material goods.
As a spa owner, the holiday season is an excellent opportunity to boost your revenue. Offering seasonal specials and gift card promotions are simple ways to increase sales before the end of the year while also ensuring a strong start to the new year.
Here are 8 things you can do to prep your spa and capitalize on the holiday season:
1. Prepare your employees for the holiday rush.
Between new clients seeking relief from seasonal stress and repeat customers scheduling services for family and friends as holiday gifts, you’re bound to have plenty of business. Communicate with your employees well before the holiday season begins to nail down their availability and to create an air-tight schedule that works for everyone. When your client calendar is fully booked, there’s no room for error.
2. Examine data from the previous holiday season.
If you’re not quite sure what to expect this holiday season, take a look at your sales from the previous year. This should give you some clues as to how you should be managing your staff and ordering inventory to account for the holiday rush. Given the pandemic data from the past year or two may not accurately predict this year’s rush, however, so be sure to give yourself a little wiggle room.
3. Make sure your staff are ready for increased traffic.
Proper training is essential any time of year, but it doesn’t hurt to give your staff a refresher in anticipation of the holiday season. Make sure your staff are ready to handle high client traffic and be sure to cover potential issues and how to handle them. You may also want to provide some helpful strategies for upselling products and services to current clients in anticipation of holiday shopping.
4. Keep safety as a top priority.
As tempting as it may be to turn your spa into a winter wonderland, it’s important to keep client and staff safety in mind. Christmas lights can be a tripping hazard and the risk for slips and falls due to winter weather is of particular concern. Keep all walking paths completely free of tripping hazards, clear outside sideways of ice, and make sure your floors are kept clean and dry (or marked with a wet sign at all times).
5. Stock up on gift cards.
Spa gift cards make for great stocking stuffers and holiday gifts, so make sure you have plenty of them on hand. You should expect to not only see an increase in pre-holiday traffic but be prepared to take advantage of all those new clients to sell gift-cards for use by potential new clients. In addition to the gift cards themselves, consider having gift card holders made printed with your spa’s logo as well.
Update your spa website.
Keeping your spa website up to date is extremely important, but especially during the holiday season when you may be opening earlier or closing later. Be sure to post your updated hours on social media as well so customers can find the information however they choose to engage with your business. If you’re adding seasonal services to your spa menu or offering holiday promotions, be sure to feature them prominently on your website and consider adding online sales for the holidays, if you don’t already.
Offer seasonal services and holiday promotions.
It’s always a good idea to update your spa menu a few times a year and to offer seasonal services to attract new clients and reinvigorate your existing customer base. During the holidays, offer services that incorporate holiday-themed ingredients like cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate. Something as simple as using a holiday blend for the aromatherapy diffusers in your treatment rooms can get your clients and staff in the holiday spirit. Don’t forget to whip up some holiday promotions as well. Treatment packages make great gifts and the holidays are the perfect opportunity to promote your product line.
Give your staff a post-holiday break and a big thank you.
After the holidays have passed, everyone can use a bit of a break. Consider running limited hours for a few days or close your doors entirely to give your staff some time off. If you want to hold a holiday party, consider waiting until after the holiday season has passed and everyone has a bit more free time (and energy) to attend the event. Don’t forget to show your appreciation for the hard work of your staff throughout the season – it never hurts to offer financial incentives as a holiday gift.
Though the end of the year certainly comes with a fair amount of stress, it also brings plenty of excitement. Whether you’re looking for opportunities to pad your profits before the end of the year or you simply can’t get enough of the holiday spirit, prepping your spa for the holidays is the best way to take advantage of the opportunities this season has to offer.