Customers at salons and spas come and go over time. Some leave for reasons having nothing to do with your business, like moving to a different city. However, there are instances in which clients visiting less – or stop visiting entirely – can be prevented.
In these cases, adjusting your approach or offerings might convince them to return. To keep a steady flow of guests – and a steady flow of revenue – it’s important to have safeguards and strategies in place to keep them from slipping through the cracks.
In this post, we cover some common reasons that prevent your clients from making their next booking – and how you can entice them back to your business.
Reason #1: Busy schedules
Most of your clients probably intend to keep a regular beauty and wellness routine: hair, face, body, and nails maintained according to the appropriate schedule. But with life pulling them in different directions, it’s easy to forget and procrastinate. Busy clients might let their ends split, watch their color fade, or pick up a drugstore treatment when their professional product runs out. Some may just skip services or procedures.
Are those customers forever stuck in a twice-per-year visit schedule? Not necessarily. Here’s what you can do:
1. Send timely, targeted reminders
As a salon or spa owner, you hold the data that determines when a customer is due for a service or refill. Use it to send carefully targeted reminders that nudge them to book an appointment for a refresh.
Luckily, your front desk doesn’t need to manually contact each client – and remember to: Zenoti software works in the background to send automated, personalized messages – via emails and text – to guests who are overdue a visit. The system fills quiet days by detecting gaps in your appointment book and sending offers tailored to guests’ purchase history.
2. Set expectations for rebooking – with staff and customers
Train your team to make rebooking a part of every visit. For any service or product sold, providers should give the customer specific instructions on how often to return or refill, to ensure they keep looking and feeling their best. With clear expectations, it’s natural to suggest rebooking during checkout: “Your roots will need touching up in eight weeks – shall we book that right away?”
Reason #2: Economic considerations
We’re living through uncertain economic times, and some of your customers are likely to feel the squeeze. Some salon and spa services are considered a luxury, and could be one of the first activities people cut back on.
However, there are effective ways to keep your budget-conscious customers feeling great and coming back. While these include some discounts, you should recoup the investment through higher return rates:
1. Introduce value-added packages
To offer customers more cost-effective treatment options, consider attractive packages that bundle services together. For example, combine a haircut with a deep conditioning treatment or a facial with a relaxing massage. Bundles like these are beneficial to both your business and your clientele: Guests receive greater value for their money, and you can promote new or lesser-known treatments by bundling them with popular services.
An alternative that follows the same strategy is bundling a series of appointments at a discount, such as offering six visits for the price of five. Services that require frequent maintenance are best suited to this approach.
2. Promote limited-time offers
Incentive guests to make an immediate purchase by offering temporary promotions. Limiting your offer to a discounted day, time, or service can be an effective strategy to encourage visits and can help prevent gaps in your appointment book during traditionally quiet times.
You can also consider seasonal offers or holiday tie-ins to attract attention and create a sense of urgency. Use your social media channels, email, and SMS promotions to spread the word quickly.
Reason #3: Increased competition
To call the salon and spa marketplace competitive is an understatement. New businesses frequently pop up, and existing brands are constantly innovating to capture the attention of potential clients. All while today’s consumers seek increasingly personalized experiences that go beyond basic services.
With so many options available, it's essential to stay ahead of the curve by aligning your offerings with evolving guest expectations. Here's how you can keep guests loyal:
1. Start a rewards program
A carefully designed loyalty or membership program will keep your customers engaged and incentivize them to keep frequenting your business over the competition. To show loyal guests that you appreciate their repeat business, offer exclusive rewards and benefits – consider discounted services, free add-ons, or early access to new treatments. As the following data shows, employing a membership model makes a difference at the better-performing spas. Here's a comparison of their 2022 annual revenue per location:
2. Embrace technology for your customers
Incorporate digital tools that enhance the guest experience at your salon or spa – the kind of tools just about every consumer uses in other areas of their lives. From salon scheduling software to two-way messaging and virtual consultations, convenient digital solutions will attract customers. In fact, in a 2022 Zenoti consumer survey, 64% of salon and spa regulars said they were more likely to choose a salon or spa that offered digital booking by mobile phone. Also, consider leveraging social media platforms to showcase your expertise, share beauty tips, and create a community of clients who can’t wait for their next visit.
Success story: How this brand recovered 1000+ customers
New York beauty brand QQ Nails & Spa wanted to reconnect with clients across their 11 locations. They hoped to nurture relationships and encourage new bookings, but didn’t have the time to manually reach out to every guest.
They turned to Zenoti Advanced Marketing. The system detects when there are gaps in the appointment book and sends automatic, targeted messages to clients who are due a visit, with personalized offers based on their purchase history.
The results: QQ Nails & Spa recovered 1,139 customers, generating $149,620 in revenue. 31 per cent of those customers made at least one additional visit.
“We are absolutely overjoyed with the results. I knew it would be great, but I never expected that in just over three months we would have recovered so many lost guests. I can’t wait to see what results we achieve next!”
- Joey Fei, Founder & Owner, QQ Nails & Spa
Conclusion
As a salon or spa business owner, adapting to changing consumer dynamics is vital. To maintain a steady, predictable revenue flow, customer loyalty and retention needs to be a priority.
You won’t be able to keep every client forever, but you can – and should – proactively address some of the most common reasons guests reduce their visit frequency (or even churn.)
Zenoti is designed to make it easier for salons and spas to keep guests coming back with effective, easy-to-use tools to keep your appointment books full:
- Increase visit frequency with targeted marketing campaigns.
- Boost retention with flexible loyalty and membership programs.
- Drive client spend with attractive offers and packages.
- Automatically adjust pricing depending on appointment demand.
Find out what Zenoti can do for your salon or spa.
