We all know how the holiday season can sneak up on us … if you want to make the most of holiday sales promotions, the time to start making those plans is NOW! Here are a few fun ideas to inspire you.
Decorate for Attention
Showing your holiday spirit with joyful seasonal decorations gets customers in the mood for a blissful experience from the minute they walk through your door. Carefully designed merchandise displays attract attention to your retail area and beauty bars. Decorated Christmas flamingos, a life-sized, animated “Grinch” statue or other moving displays invite customers to browse, which gives you an extra opportunity to promote your services or make product suggestions.
Offer Pre-made Gift Baskets & Packages
During the holidays, people are looking for fun and easy gifts. Pre-package some of your retail items – like a UV lotion, after-tan moisturizer and a gift card – and wrap them up in a pretty package to create a simple gift purchase. Bag deals and BOGOs from your beauty bar encourage guests to pick up one for themselves, as well as purchase a few gifts for friends. Offering gift-wrapping or gift bags free with purchase also can boost retail sales during the holidays. Many people get stumped trying to figure out what to get for that special guy in their life; include gift sets and baskets with products created for men – an easy shopping solution for your guest and great holiday revenue for you!
Encourage Impulse Buys with Counter Displays
Salons are busy helping people look and feel their best for the holidays, so while foot traffic is up, you need to always be catching their attention. Attractive counter displays remind guests of what they didn’t know they needed! During the holiday season, showcase the amazing new holiday and limited edition items. Display a selection of prepackaged and gift-ready retail items on the counter with a “Stocking Stuffers” sign that reminds guests to pick up a few extra items. And make sure to promote gift cards as the perfect for the person who “has it all.”
Keep in mind that the goal of holiday promos isn’t just to boost profits now, but to also set you up for success into the New Year.
Christmas Ornament Surprise
If you plan to have a holiday tree inside your salon, an “Ornament Surprise” game is a fun way to engage with your guests. Inside the ornaments on your tree, hide special deals, free tan and upgrade coupons, a gift card or just fun messages. Then, for every $20-$50 spent, you can offer guests a pick off the Christmas tree! (Make sure they know that they are not guaranteed a free promo, service or gift, but do make sure they all get at least a little something, even if it is just a Hershey’s kiss or even a candy cane.)
Create a Holiday “Selfie Station”
Generate excitement and invite guests to pose for pics with holiday-themed props – or with Old St. Nick himself – that they can post on social media (and on your pages, too.) Include your salon name, logo and associated hashtags on any selfie backdrops to ensure that they show up in customer photo posts. Promote this on all social media and marketing formats. It will work best if you can offer the Santa selfies over the course of a few days. To help spread holiday cheer and step it up a notch, ask guests to # your business and use your specific # when they post their Santa pics for a chance to win a Christmas treat on their next visit or even a free year of tanning.
Help Those Who Need it Most
Collecting donations of toys, coats and food is a great promo, because it helps bring people into your store, as well as helping those in need! Partner with an organization and let customers know through social media that you will have a donation station in your salon. For every item donated, offer them a Christmas treat!
Remember: the goal of holiday promos is to boost profits now and set you up for success through the coming year. For support, contact your distributor representative.
