The festive season may be barrelling toward us, but customer behaviour is likely to be very different this year. Here are some ways you can prepare now, to ensure your end-of-year is as profitable as possible.
Start early
And by “start early” we don’t mean ramming festive marketing down your clients’ throats. Na-ah. We mean pushing series of treatments to get their skin/brows/lashes/tan/nails in tip-top shape by Christmas-party time. “With close to everyone effected by the pandemic in some way, they’re going to be less likely to be throwing cash at their own wellbeing,” says retail behaviour expert Claire James. “But if you can sell the idea of a package, where they pay in bite-size pieces as they go, starting now, it’s guaranteed money in your pocket, and more palatable spending for your customer.”
Vouchers for the win
Remind your customers (both in-store, on your site and via socials) that you have gift vouchers available and that these are the perfect gift for Christmas. “Offer tiers of bundles ton make them more affordable and to encourage customers to buy more,” says Claire. “If you’re selling $50 vouchers, perhaps a customer is entitled to $10 off if they buy two, $20 off if they buy three, and so on.”
Day-later services
If your salon isn’t hooked up with AfterPay or an alternative buy-now-pay-later scheme, then you need to be. “Particularly at Christmas, people want to spend as little in one big lump as possible,” says Claire. “Using one of these schemes is of no risk to you, as the provider pays the salon in whole, and your customer pays it back to the provider in instalments. In fact, many people will choose a store, salon or clinic based purely on whether they offer this service.”
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