Hacks to Combat the Salon and Spa Summertime Slump

Salons and spas often experience last-minute cancellations and fewer bookings in summer. Vacations and irresistible sunny weather are the main culprits for the lull in foot traffic and appointment requests. And let’s not forget about school breaks and the scheduling debacles they present for many of your clients.

Fortunately, there are several ways to keep clients engaged and showing up for their appointments, despite the season. Our business-boosting hacks will help you generate more bookings and defy the odds of a sluggish season!

1. Offer Sensational Summer Promotions

One of the quickest and most effective ways to drum up more business is by offering enticing seasonal promotions. Some customers will make purchases merely because of a discount or coupon offer.

But don’t expect customers to go wild over a measly 5% off deal. You’ve got to go bigger and bring something special to the table that your guests won’t want to miss out on.

Salon and Spa Promotion Ideas

• Get a 90-minute massage for the price of a 60-minute massage
• Buy two HydraFacials and receive a third one half-priced
• Receive 20% off skincare products with any gift card purchase
• Receive a complimentary trim with any color service
• Save 20% on your next service when rebooked on your day of initial service
• Take $15 off partial highlights or $20 off full highlights

Top Tips for Successful Summer Promotions

• Include the dollar amount guests save with a promotion to highlight the amazing value of the deal (Save $33! or 20% less than standard pricing!)
• Take an omni-channel approach to get the word out everywhere you can— in email campaigns, social media posts, on-premises signage, text blasts, etc. If you want everybody and their mom to know about your promotions, you’ve got to get the word out in all the places.
• Create QR code coupons that guests can redeem. Nearly 70% of consumers use digital coupons nowadays, so don’t bother wasting any paper!
• Make your special offers available for a specific date range to create a sense of urgency and give clients a little FOMO. Aim for week-long promotions or shorter so you still have time to pivot and try a different promotional tactic if the first one didn’t play out like you’d hoped.
• Play off the season and create themed specials like a “Summer Glow Facial” or a “Kissed by the Sun Balayage” offer. This will help generate more excitement around your promotions and make them more fun to market on social media and other channels.

Want more clever promotion ideas? Check out our Beauty & Wellness Summer Marketing Calendar for inspiration!

2. Leverage Your Google Business Listing

The beauty and wellness industry is swimming with competition. Just do a quick Google search for “salons or spas near me” and you’ll likely be met with a list of 10+ options within a 5–10-mile radius. And where is everyone finding the products and services they want these days? Online, of course.

You can’t get rid of the business down the street or around the corner, but you CAN position your brand to get more attention online by cleaning up and optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) listing. Frequent updates and additions to your GBP essentially tell Google that you’re putting in the work to grow your online presence and, in turn, Google ranks you higher in searches, making you more visible and memorable to potential customers. When your ranking moves from, say, #8 to a much more coveted #4, guess who got moved down to #8? That new spa a block away that you don’t want your customers to know about!

Tips for Optimizing Your GBP

• Add a new image or two to your GMB weekly or bi-weekly. This could be a staff photo, the impeccably decorated lobby of your space, a happy client after a treatment, your exterior signage, before and after images, etc.
• Create posts for current promotions, events, exclusive offers, business announcements, etc. Frequent activity like this will no doubt enhance your exposure online, but it’ll also help create trust and engagement with new and existing customers. Since posts are set to expire after seven days, try to get in the habit of adding something new at least once a week, even if it’s simply re-sharing a rave customer review you recently received.
• Always do a discrepancy check. Accuracy is everything when it comes to your GMB. Check the phone number that’s displayed. Check your address. Check your hours. A tiny error is all it takes to prevent guests from scheduling an appointment or visiting your location.
• Take reviews seriously. That doesn’t just mean acquiring 5-star reviews. It means responding to both negative and positive ones and showing onlookers that you’re a caring, responsible business owner who listens to customer feedback.

Bonus: Want to find out how your business information is showing up online? Use Meevo’s Listing Scan tool to check for inaccuracies.

3. Use Reporting Insights to Your Advantage

If you’re thinking about skipping over this section (b/c data talk is usually a snooze fest, we know), stay with us for a sec because this tip could be a game-changer. You may not think of your reporting insights as golden nuggets, but they kind of are. They present numerous opportunities to make changes and improvements where needed, they provide you with a wealth of knowledge about the state of your business, and they empower you to make sound data-driven decisions that keep you on track with your goals.

By analyzing your metrics and searching for those opportunities, you can effectively develop a strategy that will move your business forward. Look at what your sales performance reports reveal, dig into your employees’ KPIs, and evaluate your frequency of visit insights. Use this valuable information to create an action plan.

Top Tips for Maximizing Salon & Spa Reporting

• Use a report like Meevo’s Sales Rankings to pinpoint who your most frequent clients are, which ones have the strongest rebooking rates, and who those big spenders are with higher average tickets. This will give you a healthy roundup of clientele you can target to get back in the door through customized email campaigns and text reminders, promotions, gift card incentives, and more.
• Use your frequency-of-visit statistics to find out which guests are overdue for their next service and are more likely to book sooner rather than later. Start outreaching via phone, email, and/or text to lock in those appointments. Meevo’s Appointment Recall Listing report makes it easier than ever to build segmented customer lists and then craft personalized communications to reach those guests.
• Rinse and repeat! Gauging and monitoring these metrics and results is never a one-and-done task. There are several factors that impact your performance in any given month, and the more you know and understand, the more capable you are of making changes that breed better results over time. Set aside a 30-minute window every 2-4 weeks to do a metric check-in and share your findings with the rest of your team so everyone is aligned on the goals they should be reaching for and the improvements they should be focusing on.

Bonus: Watch our value-packed webinar to uncover 5 powerful strategies to increase frequency of visit!

4. Get Savvy with Your Retail Marketing

It’s worth noting that most salons and spas don’t even have a product sales strategy in place, so a lot of those purchases are made with minimal to no effort from the business. Could you imagine what a little smart retail marketing could do for your summer sales?!

Set a new goal to increase your product sales to 20%–25% and get your team on board with an incentive like a month-end bonus for reaching a certain benchmark or even a contest with a prize for the top seller.

Tips for Taking Your Marketing to the Next Level

• Reference a tool like Meevo’s client notes before appointments to check for any product preferences or past retail purchases that your guests might be interested in, and don’t forget to jot down any new notes about items they mentioned or requested.
• Eye-level is the buying level. Make sure your retail displays are in a prime location for guests to access so they can easily pick up products and see them for themselves.
• If you’re running any product promotions, bundle offers, or discounts, be sure to display visible and eye-catching signage so it’s easy for guests to see.
• Don’t wait until the end of the appointment to recommend products. Start the conversation early on and mention a few benefits that will add more value and pique your client’s interest, and then circle back around toward the end of the service or at checkout to see if they’d like to take something home.

5. Step Up Your Rebooking Game

Summer vacations can cause a dip in bookings, so locking in the next appointment during the visit is crucial. Think ahead and start getting people on the calendar now for their six-week color touch-ups or monthly microdermabrasion appointments. Remind them that consistency and upkeep will give them the best results. This will help protect your profit over the coming months, while boosting client retention at the same time.

When it comes to the rebooking conversation, you MUST approach it strategically. Learning what you should say and when you should say it is critical. Maintaining trust and a positive relationship with your clients is of utmost importance, and the last thing you want is to come off like an annoying salesman.

Bonus: When booking an appointment, Meevo automatically suggests service add-ons specific to the service to enhance the client experience for a little extra cost, but no extra time for the service provider. Even better, Meevo will also automatically prompt the next appointment to be rebooked at checkout, keeping visit frequency healthy and clients loyal.

Tips for Making Rebooking Easier

• If approaching rebookings is a little intimidating for you, reference our handy Rebooking Scripts to Make Every Client a Repeat Client guide to get more comfortable navigating the conversation. The more you practice, the easier and more natural it will become over time!
• If you don’t get the next visit on the books when they’re on-premises, don’t give up just yet! Craft personalized text and email communications reminding clients when they’re due for their next appointment and highlight the benefits of the service, whether it’s sustaining healthy, clear skin or keeping their hair color vibrant and fresh.
• Make sure the entire team is on board with your rebooking goals so it’s a team effort. Schedule a brief weekly check-in with staff to review your numbers and progress, so rebooking is always top of mind.

6. Reevaluate Your Hours

With kids home from school, many parents are juggling schedules to make time for themselves. Staying open an extra hour or two on designated days or offering appointments on a Sunday when you might typically be closed could open up a slew of appointment opportunities.

Going the extra mile to accommodate your clientele will also add tremendous value and create more customer loyalty and retention.

Use These Tips to Reevaluate Your Hours

• Be sure to check with your team and discuss availability to ensure you have staff to cover the extended hours.
• When you’ve got the new schedule squared away, send an announcement email to your clients letting them know about your new openings.
• Update your hours on your website and all your digital listings so information is accurate and consistent across all platforms.

Meevo’s yield management integration helps you maximize revenue by raising and lowering prices based on market factors and trends, like demand, competition, or saturation, and intuitively adjusts your service prices accordingly.

Smart Pricing Tools for Beauty Businesses Should Let You…

• Reduce prices on slower days to incentivize more bookings.
• Raise prices for highly requested service providers.
• Lower prices for new or less-requested service providers.
• Schedule and customize automatic pricing adjustments.

7. Offer Flexibility with Mini and Express Services

Since time constraints are some of the biggest roadblocks preventing clients from clicking the ‘book now’ button, keep your business top of mind by offering on-the-go, quick services that are more feasible for your busy bee guests.

Think 5 to 30-minute sessions that won’t throw a wrench in your day and will help fill more of those smaller time increments in between bookings so you can maximize your time and earnings simultaneously, while keeping the connection strong with clientele.

Helpful Tips for Optimized Booking

• Update your website to highlight any new express services in plain sight for all to see
• Send an announcement email out to your entire clientele list to create excitement and awareness around your new offerings
• Leverage a tool like Meevo’s Precision Timing solution that allows you to easily schedule 5-10-minute appointments for quick services
• Send personalized texts or emails to clients who are overdue for an appointment and suggest an express service relevant to their typical treatment (e.g., a 30-minute massage vs. a 90-minute deep tissue massage or a 10-minute ends trim vs. a full cut)

8. Supercharge Your Customer Loyalty Program

Incentive and loyalty programs reward clients for coming back to your business. Salon and spa rewards program examples include giving customers points, perks, or discounts based on how often they visit, how much they spend, or for referring friends.

The goal is simple: Give clients a reason to come back. Your program can involve small incentives that help build long-term loyalty and steady revenue, even during the summer slump.

Benefits of Salon & Spa Loyalty Rewards

• Motivating clients to act. If clients know they’re close to earning a reward, like a free treatment or discounted service, they’re more likely to book that appointment now instead of waiting until fall.
• Offering convenience. Summer schedules can be unpredictable, and clients may not think ahead. A small reward for rebooking during their pre-summer appointments takes the guesswork out of summer planning and helps secure that appointment.
• Turning clients into promoters. You can’t rely on walk-ins during the summer. A referral offer encourages loyal clients to spread the word when business is slow. Plus, those new clients are likely to stick around after summer ends

Spa & Salon Loyalty Program Tips

• Launch a tiered rewards program: A tiered loyalty program rewards clients based on how often they book or how much they spend. The more they visit, the better the perks. It’s an effective way to drive repeat businesses, especially during slower summer months when regular routines slip. Set clear reward levels that feel worth coming back for.
• Set up referral incentives with dual-sided rewards: When business slows down in summer, a referral program is an uncomplicated way to keep new clients coming through the door. The key? Reward the existing client for referring a friend and the new client. If there’s something in it for both sides, people are far more likely to spread the word, and first-timers are likely to book. Offering a reward gives people a reason to act now, not later. To make it work, keep your offer easy to understand and redeem.

Salon Referral Program Examples

• Offering $10 credit, free add-ons, like a hand massage or blowout, or double loyalty points to the referrer.
• Giving a new client a complimentary product sample or $10 off their first visit.
• Entering both parties into a monthly draw for a larger prize.

Meevo makes membership management easy. Your team can effortlessly foster long-term relationships with your clients, promoting loyalty and supporting your spa or salon’s revenue.

See How Meevo Helps Beat the Summertime Slump

Now that you’ve got some tools in your back pocket to combat the seasonal slowdown, start implementing them at your salon and spa and don’t stop pounding the pavement with your efforts! This is going to be your most successful summer yet!

Discover how Meevo can save you time, increase revenue, and simplify your day-to-day with smart and reliable tools designed for beauty businesses just like yours!

Request a demo to see Meevo in action today.