If Black Friday is any indicator, things are looking good for holiday spending. The International Council of Shopping Centers reported that three quarters of Americans spent the same or more this year than last, and 44 percent of their spend was on gifts for other people. The average spent on shopping on Thanksgiving and/or Black Friday was $373, with $165.20 spent on gifts. And when it comes to Cyber Monday, estimates are indicating the day set a record of $3.39 billion, 10.2 percent over last year.
The bottom line is that consumers are feeling more confident (The Conference Board reports that consumer confidence soared in November to 107.1, the highest since July 2007 before the recession.) and you want to make sure that your spa or massage practice benefits from it. While you probably are well along with your holiday and New Year’s marketing and retail sales planning, here are some activities to consider, if you haven’t already, to help boost end of year sales as clients look for gifts for others or for themselves.
Attract and engage old and new shoppers
Spruce up your website: In addition to sprucing up your spa or massage practice for the holidays, don’t forget to extend the decorating to your website. Adding holiday-themed images can encourage visitors to spend more time on your site as they explore your various services and retail offerings.
Create social media holiday posts. Use colorful photos to announce holiday promotions. Help clients book during this busy time by announcing available openings on social media as they become available. Feature a holiday gift guide featuring your services and products.
Create holiday videos: It’s not too late to create short YouTube videos about your special holiday treatments and packages. Include information about how to purchase a gift certificate. The video can be short – even 30 to 45 seconds. Post it on your social media channels and your website.
Co-market with another business: Drive new clients through the door by partnering with another business – a fitness center or even a restaurant. Ask the other business to hand out your flier or specially designed postcard to their customers that offers special holiday packages. In turn, promote your partner by offering some discount for its services or goods.
Help holiday shoppers relax. Offer a discounted 15-minute foot or neck massage when they spend a minimum amount. You also might want to offer neck or foot massages for free just to get potential new clients in the door.
Maximize retail merchandising
Color counts: Clients are drawn to colors, which also evoke emotion and influence buying decisions. Try grouping items together that have a similar color but different shapes to create a visual theme.
Lighten thing up: Lighting not only brings colors to life, it attracts a buyer’s attention. It makes products stand out and enhances colors. Consider spotlights to highlight featured products or back lit displays.
Make buying easy: Don’t restrict retail displays areas to a corner of your reception area or off to the entrance of your spa or massage business. Have a number of displays throughout your spa or massage business, including treatment rooms and hallways. Also offer ready-to-go baskets and wrapped items to make it easy for your clients to pick up a gift for others.
Help on hand: Be sure to have enough staff on hand to help clients with retail purchases.While your signage throughout the store may help direct clients to retail displays, it won’t help boost sales if staff isn’t available to answer questions.
Make sure that your spa or massage practice enjoys the good cheer going around this holiday with some extra spice in your marketing and retail sales efforts.