How Salons and Spas Can Participate in Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday

Although 2021 has still presented salons and spas with a few challenges, the holiday season is something we can all look forward to. On top of that, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday (the shopping weekend to end all shopping weekends) all spell opportunity and revenue for your business. Since these milestone retail days occur November 26, November 27, and November 29 (respectively) this year, now is the time to plan.

We all know these shopping days can make your year as a salon or spa owner. In fact, that’s how it all started. Black Friday began in the 1960s as a day when retailers traditionally went “into the black” for the year. Small Business Saturday is in its eleventh year, encouraging people to shop at establishments like yours. And the National Retail Federation (NRF) coined the term Cyber Monday in 2005 to describe a sharp rise in ecommerce sales on the first Monday after Thanksgiving.

So, how can spas and salons claim their share of the retail cornucopia?

First, tell your customers you’re participating in these lucrative holidays. Marketing Suite makes it easier than ever to thrive during the busiest time of the year. You can seamlessly send out email campaigns, use two-way text messages, and promote your holiday offerings with customizable templates for your customers.

Download our marketing budget and plan template to make holiday planning a breeze. 

Here are some other things you might want to try:

Black Friday

Black Friday might still look a bit different than in years past—but with a little creativity and planning, you can take advantage of the most profitable shopping day of the year:

• Offer a blowout series, where the discount increases over three visits. For instance, 20% off the first appointment, 30% off the second, and 30% plus a free retail product on the third visit. 
• Promote spa specials that are only available exclusively on Black Friday and/or during certain times each day. For example, all day on Black Friday you could offer a month-long membership that includes a massage or facial, 20% off additional treatments and featured products, and 20% off add-ons and upgrades. Another example? Between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., clients who buy gift cards could receive a free treatment or upgrade. And between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., customers who purchase two or more products or gift items from your business can receive 20% off. With these types of specials, you’ve got your customers’ attention for the full day!
• Create gift card purchase incentives. For example, with gift card purchases of $100 or more, give the purchaser a $20 gift card on the house. This way, buyers can treat themselves or add a bonus gift for their recipient. Looking for more tips to help you sell gift cards like a pro? Download our guide to become a champ at selling gift cards. 
• Barbershops can “shave” $10 or 25% off all services provided that day.
• Reduce the price of accessories and products. Try a buy one, get one at 50% promotion.

Pro-tip: Use a tool like Messenger[ai] to make sure you’re efficiently communicating all your Black Friday specials to your entire customer base.

Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday

Small Business Saturday is the perfect opportunity for your business to cultivate community, connect with your existing customer base, and drive revenue during the holiday season. Whether you’re opening your business to your local community, sticking to online sales, or taking it hybrid this year, we have a few ways to make both Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday a tremendous success.  

You could:

• Create a holiday email campaign that includes a total of five email messages (about once a week). Use your customer email lists to support this. If five emails sound like too many for your clientele, send an announcement that you’ll be participating, a reminder email, and a thank you message to those customers who have made a purchase from your business on Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday. Need help creating an email marketing campaign? Download The Complete Guide to Email Marketing for best practices.
• Give out as many free mini-sized products or samples as you can with full-sized product purchases. People love freebies!
• Give customers who spend $30 or more, 10% off their next purchase or service at your salon or spa.
• Never underestimate the power of a gift card. Other than just selling them in-house, make them available for sale on your website and Facebook page—and make them easy to print out or email.
• Offer free shipping for online purchases. It’s easy to mail retail products and gift cards. 

Bring in clients with Mindbody Promote this holiday season

At Mindbody, we want to enable you to create top-notch salon and spa experiences for your clients with technology that helps you foster the loyalty you work so hard to achieve. We want to enable your clients and prospects to book with east at your business, so you can focus on providing an exceptional experience in-house. But with so much competition out there during this time of year, getting the right kind of new clients to actually visit your business can be quite a challenge.   

That’s where listing your salon or spa in the Mindbody app and taking advantage of Promoted Intro Offers comes into play. Promoting your intro offers can help your business attract and retain new clients by displaying the offers in the “Intro Deals” section of the Mindbody app home screen to advertise your special packages to new customers and turn them into repeat clients. 

So, how does it work?  

Any new or existing pricing options that you sell online and mark as an introductory offer will be promoted and featured on the app. The best parts about Promoted Intro Offers are that it’s easy and free to opt-in—you’ll only pay if a client books an appointment with you. The fees are performance-based, which means it will cost you nothing if it doesn't produce results.  

To start promoting your intro offers, be sure to opt into "Promoted intro offers" through the Marketing screen in your salon software. To learn more about how to get started with Mindbody Promote, here’s a support article where you can find more information. 

Now’s the time to line up your holiday sales weekend activities and specials. There’s plenty of opportunity waiting for your spa or salon. And with a little imagination and effort, you can get your slice of the holiday revenue pie.