By Ashley Laabs

The holiday shopping season is stressful for everyone. Retailers are trying to drive traffic into their stores and satisfy hard-to-please shoppers, and customers are looking for the best deal and the perfect gift. Fortunately, all it takes is service and a little rebranding to put your salon in a winning position for the holidays.

While your tanning salon may be off the beaten path of their retail adventures, you can offer customers the gift of relaxation. Being extra kind to customers comes with hidden benefits during this time of year: By treating your clients to a pleasant experience in the salon and accommodating to their needs, you can unlock the potential for extra sales.

Service with a Smile

It’s a widely referenced fact that consumers are willing to spend more money at an establishment that provides stellar customer service. Yet, holiday shopping is full of exhausting deals that require people to stand in line for hours and shove their way through the isles, only to deal with frustrated employees.

Make your establishment stand out from the rest by providing a pristine, calm environment so clients can wind down. It sounds like a no-brainer, but make sure that everyone is smiling and pleasant. Taking joy in helping others is something that your customers will pick up on, and it’s something that will stick with them.

When a client is finished with their session, ask them how it was. Ask if there is anything else you can do for them. When your guests start saying they feel great and relaxed, that is your prime moment to remind them that your salon offers great holiday gift ideas.

Seasonal Rebranding

The key to taking advantage of holiday sales is branding. To regular customers, visiting your salon becomes part of their beauty routine like a haircut or a trip to the gym. By reprogramming how your clients think about your salon, you can reprogram how they shop.

Put your gift cards in festive envelopes, assemble gift sets with competitive pricing, and explain how tanning, red light therapy, body wraps or your other services are the perfect gift for someone who has everything. Since your clients have just had a great firsthand experience, they’re more likely to buy.

Take inspiration from successful retailers and apply their tactics to your store. Do you want to make your salon a winter wonderland? Do you want to create more elegant shopping experience? Put a unique twist on holiday retail by adapting your favorite tactics for your business.

Creating a pleasant holiday retail experience boils down to being cheerful and helpful to those who spend time and money in your business, all while offering gift packaging and making your products more accessible to clients. Tune in to what your clients are looking for during the holidays, and you hold the key to a successful season.