The holidays are officially here — it’s time to boost sales, get more bookings, and make more money than you did last year. We know you’re busy so we’ve laid out everything you need to remember in order to make this holiday season a success.

#1 Take a look at last year.

  • Did you run out of inventory? Should you have extended your hours? Did you miss some opportunities to upsell?
  • Business management tools like StyleSeat allow you to look back at your revenue over the last holiday season. Use what you learned last year to form your plan this year.

#2 Schedule holiday hours.

  • In order to get the most out of your holiday bookings, you need to have a clear idea of what your schedule will look like.
  • Block off your vacation time in your booking schedule now.
  • Get those pre-bookings. During checkout, let clients know you anticipate limited availability and they should book in advance.
  • Send out an email marketing campaign and encourage clients to pre-book.
  • Filling out your schedule in advance will give you a better idea of whether or not you need to add a few extra hours to your schedule.
  • If you decide to change your hours, update your business profile, send out an email marketing campaign, and make an announcement on your social media.

We asked StyleSeat pros if they planned on increasing their hours this season and 80% said yes!

#3 Plan your promotions.    

  • Make a list of the promotions you want to offer through the rest of the year. Here are a few suggestions for November.
  • Remember, the holidays are busy because clients want to look and feel great this time of year. In most cases, you won’t need to worry about increasing bookings. Your goal: Increase the average spend per client.
  • That means, don’t offer discounts on your most popular services. Instead, offer discounts on smaller add-on services.

For Example:

“Women’s Haircuts” are your most booked service at $65

You offer an amazing “Deep Treatment” but it is rarely booked at $45

Create a package: “Haircut and Deep Treatment” for $110 and run a promotion on it – $15 OFF

Add a call-to action in your “about me” section. Say something like, “If you want incredibly silky smooth hair for all your holiday parties, book the special below – only available in December!

Your clients will love the $15 savings, you will love the $30 ticket increase, and your clients will be introduced to a new service they might continue booking in the future.

#4 Stock up.

  • Make sure you’ve ordered enough supplies to cover all your extra bookings.
  • Create a holiday display with your retail products and put a sign up reminding clients they make great gifts and stocking stuffers.

#5 Reward your loyal customers.

  • Although attracting new clients is important, client retention is just as valuable.
  • Show your loyal clients how much you appreciate their business. After you give them an amazing service, give them a small gift like a product you know they love —  make sure you are fresh on their minds in the beginning of next year.

Looking for tools to help you run your business? Try StyleSeat here.   

For more industry tips, check out these articles:

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