Spas, salons, and wellness retailers often experience a unique rhythm of busy and slow seasons throughout the year. The holiday season, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day often provide an influx of revenue. But the elation and highs brought on by higher-than-normal holiday spending evaporate with a seemingly instantaneous drop in revenue during the summer months. Selling gift cards at your spa or salon is an incredibly valuable way to maintain a steady revenue stream and even spark business growth during slow seasons.
4 Ideas to Increase Gift Card Revenue During Slow Seasons
If you’re looking to prepare for an upcoming slow season by ramping up gift card sales, here are a few proven strategies we’ve found from working with dozens of spas and salons across the country:
1. Develop a dedicated strategy to sell more gift cards.
This may seem intuitive, but if you want to sell more gift cards you need an intentional strategy for increasing sales. Here are some helpful questions and resources to consider:
- Are you offering professionally printed spa gift cards and digital gift cards? Both are essential for meeting today’s consumer expectations.
- How can you maximize your current marketing and communication tools to promote gift cards?
- Are there any outside-the-box ideas to promote gift cards that would resonate with your audience?
- What will you do with the increased revenue from your gift card sales?
2. Launch a special incentive for loyal customers during slower seasons.
Spas often rely on referrals and word of mouth to reach new customers. The best way to increase word of mouth is to transform frequent customers into brand advocates. Here are a few helpful questions to help you launch a special incentive program to sell more gift cards:
- What are some ways you can incentivize your loyal customers during slow seasons?
- Do you have loyalty or VIP cards for your spa?
- Are there unique gift card promotions you can offer to repeat customers to make them feel prioritizedl?
3. Train and incentivize employees to naturally promote your gift cards and programs.
One of the most effective ways to increase revenue is to train associates to promote gift cards without being too sales-focused. Make sure everyone understands the importance of selling gift cards and is on board. Here are a few helpful questions to ask about promoting your gift cards:
- What are some natural contact points where customers might want to know about gift card sales?
- How can employees make gift card promotion a part of the organic conversation during checkout?
- Can you incentivize employees to reward them when they sell a gift card?
- Do you have a process for following up with customers after a visit to ask about their experience? Is there a way to promote gift cards in that interaction?
4. Invest in advertising your gift cards, loyalty programs, and other special promotions.
Some customers might organically discover your gift card promotions, but the best way to maximize the ROI of your investment is to promote and advertise your offerings. Dedicate a specific portion of your marketing budget to promote your gift cards and loyalty programs. Some helpful advertising questions to consider include:
- How much can you invest in promoting your gift cards on social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram? Is there a way you can test the efficacy of these promotions?
- What other channels or outlets does your audience follow? Are there media outlets you can engage with or publications you can advertise in?
- Are there any influencers in your area you can partner with to run a special promotion?
Sell More Gift Cards at Your Spa or Salon with Card Market
If you want to increase gift card sales during the summer months or slower seasons, you need an intentional strategy. That’s where our team can help. At Card Market, we don’t just care about supplying you with print and digital gift cards. We actually want them to make a significant impact on your bottom line. Our free Gift Card Marketing Guide can help you develop a comprehensive strategy to sell more gift cards. Reach out to us any time to learn about the specific ways we can support your spa or salon.