Black Friday sales have picked up steam in Canada over the last few years but has been used in terms of shopping since the 1960’s. It was originally used to reference how busy retail stores were with customers beginning their holiday shopping and was explained to be when retailers went from “in the red” to “in the black”- hence “Black” Friday!
There are SO many benefits to having a Black Friday sale in your salon- but you have to make sure you’re strategic about it and make a plan! How many times have you planned a promo or sale a few days before the date because it crept up on you?! We get it, we’ve been there and we've got you covered for last minute sales ideas.
Here is your gentle reminder to start planning for a successful Black Friday Sale in your salon and everything you need to get started!
Benefits
1. Clear out stock before the holidays. A Black Friday sale is a great opportunity to mark down products that are taking up valuable shelf space and make room for holiday packs!
2. Increase in sales. If you let your clients know far enough in advance that you will be having an amazing Black Friday Sale, they can start planning their holiday shopping or a product stock up!
3. New customers. If you market your sale properly for in store and online savings, you may just score a few new customers!
Although there are many benefits to a Black Friday sale for your salon, you also have to make sure you are strategic about your discounts. Blowing things out for the sake of getting rid of them is one thing, but you don’t want to offer an overly generous discount if you don’t need to! Your clients want to buy from you and support your salon business, so create an offer that benefits the both of you! Add value to your promotion without over discounting and consider adding a digital GWP (gift with purchase) to provide a different level of customer service! We suggest video tutorials of how to use a product or a cute info graphic on tips and tricks to get the most out of their purchase!
We are passionate about informing salon pros on the difference between discounting and adding value, hit this link to learn more about how to incorporate this way of thinking into your Black Friday promotion!
Service promos
If you’re wanting to encourage holiday bookings or appointment scheduling’s following the holiday rush, promoting service gift cards is a great way to accomplish this! You can offer specific service gift cards at a discounted rate only on Black Friday to increase appointment bookings for services that are less popular or a package deal for multiple services! There are so many great service gift card promotions you can offer on that day only to increase sales and secure future appointment bookings!
Offering a gift card sale where the buyer spends $X amount and receives $X amount bonus have been shown to be super effective for salons. For example, you can offer a bonus $20 on every $100 gift card purchase or $50 on every $200 gift card purchase to encourage larger gift card purchases. You can also offer a GWP by including a retail product with every gift card purchase!
Retail promotions
There are many ways to structure a Black Friday sale for your salon retail (online and in store!) You can discount specific products or brands at different rates but the more levels to your sale, the more complicated it is and harder to follow for your customers. We’re going to give you a few ideas for retail promotions that you can use as inspiration for your own Black Friday sale.
Buy 1 product, get 10% off
Buy 2 products, get 15% off
Buy 3 products, get 20% off
Buy 4 products, get 25% off
This type of sale structure is great as it encourages more buying to score more savings. This can be tricky to automate on your e-commerce site so that’s something to keep in mind when planning. It may be easier to stick to a flat discount across the board for your online shop!
Spend $x- get a featured product or pack at a discounted rate.
This can be an amazing way to encourage additional retail sales as it feels exclusive to receive a discount for spending a certain amount. It not only allows your customer to try something new at a discounted rate but it will help you increase retail sales! This can also be difficult to automate on your online shop so consider this while planning your Black Friday promotions.
Gift with purchase.
If you’ve done the math and it makes more sense for you to offer a gift with purchase in addition to or on its own as a Black Friday deal- go for it! If you have a bunch of travel sized, mini products- throw a couple of them in a cute little bag and include it with every purchase of $X amount. Or you could use this as an opportunity to clear your shelves of any products that are collecting dust and offer a “Sale Shelf Steal” where they can get a sale product for free with the purchase of $X amount.
Pssssst- if you already have a Salon S.O.S Loyalty App- make sure you utilize it and include your discounts under your “Deals” tab for your clients to find and use!
Online Sales and Cyber Monday
If you have an online store, we HIGHLY recommend utilizing it for Black Friday Sales AND a Cyber Monday sale. It can be tricky to automate more complex sales (like some of the ones we mentioned above), so it may be best to keep it easy with a more simple sale like X% off sitewide. With the pandemic still in full swing in most areas, consumers are still wanting contactless shopping opportunities. This also gives new consumers or out of town customers a chance to score your Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday specials! If executed correctly, online sales for your salon on Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be incredibly lucrative and beneficial for your business!
CONCLUSION
There are so many ways you can plan for an amazing Black Friday Sale and/or Cyber Monday in your salon and online- the key is to do just that though- PLAN!
Our challenge to you is to make a killer Black Friday game plan- and we’ve got a checklist for you to follow!
1. Figure out what you want your promotion, sale, discount to be. Don’t pull a number out of thin air- be strategic with it! Run some numbers, do some consulting with your team, and come up with a promotion that will best serve your salon and your customers!
2. Create a social media/digital marketing campaign. If you’re on Facebook and Instagram, create a few photos and/or videos to let your audience know that something is in the works for major savings at your salon on Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday. If you use email marketing, send out an email giving them an exclusive sneak peek at your promo. This creates awareness as people start to think and plan for holiday shopping. We recommend using Canva to create beautiful content for your salon social and email marketing.
3. Execute. Now that your promo is planned and set and your customers are informed- make sure you follow through with exceptional customer service. Stock up on popular products and consider adding a personalized touch to make each purchase more memorable. You could include a short hand written card thanking the customer for supporting your small business, drop them an online discount code card, or even include a cute freebie like a holiday candy or a product sachet. Another cute touch that your clients would appreciate would be leveling up your packaging with tissue paper in your customers package, using holiday themed delivery boxes/envelopes or popping a holiday sticker on their purchase. It’s the little things that go a long way!
For even more digital marketing goodness, check out our YouTube Marketing Academy as well as all the resources and support we have for you here on our website
‘Til next time,
Your Team At Salon S.O.S