Get Your Beauty and Barber Business Ready for the Holiday Season
If the holiday hustle feels all too familiar, fear not – you’re not alone. While it may be the busiest time of the year, it’s also the most lucrative. Picture this: a stress-free, profit-packed holiday season. Intrigued? You can make it happen with a dash of strategic finesse and a guide on how to use your StyleSeat features. Implement these savvy steps to ensure your business thrives this festive season.
Check out this webinar to help prepare your business for the holiday season!
Create Promotions To Drive Bookings
Create a few holiday packages to add to your service menu. Your goal is to increase the average spend per client. Take some of your most booked services and create a special with a small add-on service for a small discount. Let clients know the package is only available during the holidays, so they should book now. Not only does this encourage clients to spend a little extra, but it’s also an opportunity to introduce them to a new service they might continue booking.
Update your retail display to be more enticing for the holidays. You can market products as stocking stuffers or package certain items together and market them as the perfect gift.
You’ll want to promote your holiday specials and promotions to clients using StyleSeat’s email marketing tool, exclusive to Premium Pros.
Earn Extra Revenue with Minimal Effort
There are ways that you can earn extra revenue that takes minimal effort this holiday season. As your clients start booking appointments, your time slots will become popular and in demand. Smart Pricing uses data science to analyze your schedule to identify your most popular booking times and strategically raises your prices to match their true value. How does it work? Clients booking online will see a slight price increase on your most popular time slots.
Does your salon sell retail products? Use Product Sales, exclusive to StyleSeat Premium Pros, to sell products for extra cash during the holiday season when checking out with clients.
Manage Your Calendar and Holiday Hours
Take a look at your calendar and adjust to holiday hours. Extend hours where you see fit and set aside time for vacation. Clients are also busy during the holidays, so ensuring your calendar is up to date will create a smooth and stress-free experience, avoiding clients booking outside your hours. If you’re in the beginning stages of building your clientele, making a few exceptions is okay. But otherwise, it’s essential to set boundaries. To give clients your best, you also need rest and relaxation.
| PRO TIP: To set your hours and block off vacation time in your StyleSeat calendar, tap the (…) button in the top right corner of your calendar and select Manage Availability. |
Encourage Clients To Pre-Book Appointments
The number one way to avoid booking chaos? Pre-booking. It will give you a clear idea of your schedule and income for the rest of the year. Announce that your schedule fills up quickly during the holidays, and if clients want to secure a spot on your schedule, they’ll need to book an appointment in advance. If an opening is unavailable, offer your client the waitlist where they can reserve when a spot is available.
Use Monthly Availability Drops, exclusively available to Premium Pros, to automatically open your availability seven days before the new month begins and send email alerts announcing your open calendar to clients.
| PRO TIP: To stay on track and avoid as many last-minute surprises as possible, set up a No-Show/ Late Cancellation policy. Clients enter a credit card when they book, so you get paid for your time if they cancel late or don’t show up. |
Easily Manage Your Revenue
Use StyleSeat Payments for a smooth checkout and payment experience this holiday season. Not only do you benefit from options such as instant deposits to get your money right away, a No-Show/Late-Cancellation policy to protect your revenue from no-shows or cancellations, and Smart Pricing to get paid what you and your time are worth.
Your clients can benefit from features like contactless payments, including Tap to Pay on iPhone for quick checkout and the option to Book Now, Pay Later with Klarna.
Plus, you’ll want to prepare for the tax season by opting for electronic delivery of your tax forms for a smooth and easy tax season next year. Not using StyleSeat Payments? Set up only takes a few moments, and you’ll be ready before your next appointment.
Create Holiday-Related Content
Post your best holiday looks on Instagram and inspire clients to book. Remember always to include a clear call to action in each post — for example: “Love these holiday nails on my last client? Hit the book button on my profile page to get this look before my schedule fills up! Don’t forget to get the official “Book” button on your Instagram page.
Set up an “Instagrammable” holiday-themed selfie station in your salon and encourage clients to tag you in their photos. Ensure your social media information is visible so clients know which account to tag.
| PRO TIP: While adding your new looks on social media, don’t forget to update your StyleSeat profile with your latest work for direct booking. |
Elevate Your Client Experience
Provide an incredible client experience during one of the busiest times of the year. When taking on new clients, it can be a challenge with the lack of information provided before the appointment. Forms is your solution to improve your consultation and meet client expectations.
Our pre-built form includes questions about clients’ hair history, any concerns they want to address, and what they aspire to achieve when leaving your chair, like a festive look for their upcoming holiday party.
Provide detailed instructions for finding your business location to help your clients feel confident and well-prepared for their appointment. Add parking directions, specific entry points, etc., to improve your business location.
Reward Loyal Customers
Show your loyal clients you appreciate them. Something as simple as a personal thank you email or text message can go a long way. If you have a few clients who have always supported you, showed up on time, tipped, and referred you to their friends, give them a small complimentary add-on service to show them their loyalty hasn’t gone unnoticed.
