Value-Added Promotions for Tanning Salons
Don't lower the perceived value of your products and services—try these specials instead.
By Deborah Overman
How much are your retail products and sessions worth? Running specials is a great way to attract more clients and to boost sales. However, it's important when doing so that you don't lower the perceived value of these products and sessions, because it could, in the long run, affect your profits.
The amount that clients are willing to pay for products or sessions—the perceived value—is dependent on the price you set. For example, if a bottle of lotion normally costs $50, but goes on sale only occasionally, clients will still tend to pay that amount for it because the lotion's perceived value will still be that it's worth $50. However, if clients see the same bottle of lotion frequently on sale for, say, $40, they may begin to perceive it to be worth $40, not $50.
The same thing goes for tanning session prices: If the perceived value drops, clients may not be willing to pay a higher price for those sessions. Rather than just offering a standard 15% discount or a few dollars off, try one of these promotional ideas instead:
1. Offer a free tan or upgrade with a lotion purchase.
This promotion doesn't change the lotion's perceived value because the client must still pay full price for the lotion to receive the free session. You can use this promotion to build interest in one of your new units or to convince a client to try a session in one of your upgrade beds.
2. Offer a lotion discounted by the price of a packette with the purchase of a packette.
If a client pays $5 for a packette, you can sell her a full-sized bottle of the same lotion discounted by the price of the packette. This way, the full-priced bottle that formerly sat unsold on your shelf is in your client's hands along with the packette, and your client is happy because she believes she got a good deal on her purchase. The lotion's perceived value remains high because your client had to actively make a purchase to receive the discount.
3. Offer a discount off another package with the purchase of a tanning package.
Once you sell your client a full-priced package, you can offer her a discount on a second package. This could benefit you in two ways:
• If she uses the second package herself, she'll return to your salon more often—and if she's a seasonal tanner, she could be convinced to tan at your salon year-round.
• If she gives the second package to a friend or relative, then that friend or relative is a new client who could potentially buy more products and sessions from you. (And just like that old shampoo commercial, he or she may then tell their friends or family members about your salon—and so on, and so on, and so on....)
4. Offer a free session with the purchase of a certain number of sessions.
If a client buys, say, five sessions, the sixth session is free. This way, she still pays full price for the first five sessions, but she receives a deal on her sixth session and may return to your salon more often.
5. Offer surprise discounts.
With the latest events in the Middle East, what better way to show how much we appreciate our military personnel than to offer them discounts on their products and sessions? Since this special is offered only to military personnel, it won't change the perceived value of the products and sessions for your regular clients—especially if you offer a discount like this on a varying basis. Offering specials too regularly will train clients to wait for the discount to make a purchase.
The military personnel may like how you go out of your way to show your appreciation to them and continue to visit a salon that cares so much about its clients. They may even tell their friends and family about your salon—which could make your profits rise even higher, making this a win-win situation for everyone.
Deborah Overman is the associate editor of Today's Image.
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