4 Tips On How Salons Can Survive Slow Season

Maybe this is your first slow season as a tanning salon owner and you’re stumped on how to keep the summer heat from causing business to go up in flames. Or, you’re a seasoned veteran at the highs and lows of the tanning calendar and just need a refresher. Of course the best thing you can do is save during busy season. Typically salons see double, sometimes even quadruple the amount of business during busy season as they do during slow season, so by budgeting accordingly you can stretch your money through the “dry” months. That’s probably an obvious one though. Don’t stress! Here are four proven ways you can survive slow season this year:

1. Promotions

Now is the time to ramp up your specials. You’ll need to look at past promotions to see what has worked best for your location, but of course consider what you haven’t tried yet. Knowing your customers and what kind of specials they’ll find most beneficial is important for this as well. Below are some examples of those promotions.

• Rainy Day Delight – Come in while it’s raining and warm up with an upgraded session ($1 upgrade for package holders, discounted price for new customer in upper level bed).
• Glow Before You Go – Bring in your upcoming travel itinerary for a buy one get one free session and get bronzed for your trip.
• Bring a Bestie – Bring in a friend and you’ll both receive 3 free lotion packets with the purchase of 5 sessions.
• Happy Hour – All sessions or packages purchased from (your least busy hours) are 50% off.
• Text Alert – Customers who sign up for text messages or email blasts will receive surprise day-of specials, only valid for the day.

2. Diversify Your Salon

Offering services other than tanning is a great way to not only keep current tanners coming in, but to attract customers who will come solely for new spa oriented services. Some of those services can include red light sessions, or massage. In order to avoid operational costs, a water massage therapy system like the AquaFrixio can be initially set-up with controlled settings to then be operated by users on an easy-to-navigate touch screen. Customers can receive 2-in-1 automated spa services with the attachable RenuvaSkin FSR red light canopy. Expanding with automated spa services lets you create new package options, promotional opportunities, and keeps traffic flowing, allowing you more chances to make product sales!

3. Partner with other businesses

Partnering with other businesses to cross promote is a good move for a couple of reasons. For one, you’re building close relationships with other owners or managers who will likely refer your business to customers looking for your services. Something as simple as leaving small flyers by a front check-in/out area will catch the attention of the right target audience, this is why fitness centers are ideal. This kind of promotion essentially costs nothing and will drive new customers into your salon.

4. Learn & Connect

Slow season doesn’t mean slack off, but it does mean take advantage of down time to get more involved in the indoor tanning community. Learn how your salon can better advocate for smart tanning and keep the industry thriving positively. Consider partaking in some of the following strategies:

• Tanning Conferences & Expos: Attend tanning conferences or expos to network with other salon owners
• Connect with Customers: Discover new ways to connect with your customers
• Be Social: Jump start or revamp your social media pages
• Be accessible: Make it as convenient as possible for your customers to get in touch with you
• Use social media advertising tools: Promote your business and any specials you have going on via social media advertising tools. It is a cheap, easy way to get the word out and increase traffic to your business.

At the end of the day, the best way to smoothly transition in and out of slow season is to know your business and customers inside and out. If you aren’t fully invested and knowledgeable on the trends of what’s happening in your salon, you might find it difficult creating a successful approach to tackling nearly half of your year. However, by diversifying your salon and promoting those services in all the right ways and places, you should be able to weather the heat of the summer!

For more information on diversifying your salon this season, contact ProSun at (877) 725-2236 or sales@prosun.com.